The City: First Semester
by akihiko-senpai
Summary: AU. After four years away, Lillian moves back to the town that hosts her best friends. Her senior year in high school, however, is filled with surprises regarding two rival clubs every senior is forced to decide between. Pulled in opposite directions by the two boys she thought would be friends forever, Lillian is faced with several decisions she never anticipated.
1. Reunion

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: This story is my experiment with an AU! I don't want to give too much away for now, but this will be a high school setting and a bit more slice of life than my usual fics and the rival villages will become rivals of a different sort. If an AU isn't your style you probably won't like this haha, and that's totally fine with me! I've been interested in trying my hand at an AU for a while now, though, so I thought I'd give it a shot, and to those of you interested, I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

The rustic building held a familiar sort of charm akin to the town Lillian had finally returned to, complete with brick walls and peeling paint. Ash described it as "old enough for Social Security," but the seventeen-year-old girl grew to love the school from the moment she saw it simply for being so absurdly different from her previous high school.

Of course, its charm likely came from its inhabitants. Seeing Ash for the first time in four years had been the highlight of her entire high school life. She had wasted no time in launching herself at him, catching him in an embrace she hoped conveyed the years of built up yearning for the friend she had known since kindergarten. Not to mention their other best friend was _somewhere _in that maze of buildings, those Ash didn't speak much about him.

Ash had promised to find her as soon as he could, but had been forced to prioritize escorting Cheryl to her elementary school. She craned her neck in search of any familiar landmarks he had described to her that would help her find her homeroom class, but was left blankly gazing at the mass of students swarming in and out of the building. For a high school on the outskirts of the lonely town she resided in, it seemed a lot of kids were there. Ash had explained that there were many sparse towns scattered throughout the mountain paths, and all of those kids were then bussed to this ancient building. It fascinated Lillian, who had gone to a private school in the city her parents had taken her too. Returning to the public halls was a welcome and exciting notion.

Still, as the bell rang and students began to pour in and out of doors, rushing past her with unfamiliar purpose, she began to wonder if she'd ever find her way. She was stumbling through the hallways when two students landed on either side of her, both wearing grins.

"Cam!" she exclaimed, looking excitedly at the now very handsome boy she had befriended years ago, and then turned to the blonde on her other side and cried out, "And Laney! You two are my heroes."

"Ash told us about your schedule, so we knew you had the same homeroom as us," Laney explained, grinning and looping her arm through Lillian's. She tugged her through the hallways with expert knowledge – it seemed her previous three years had turned her into a professional at progressing through the busy halls.

"We've been looking for you for a pretty long time," Cam exclaimed, tugging his hat down in the familiar nervous manner Lillian still remembered. "How do you like the school so far?"

"I love it!" Lillian blurted out excitedly, allowing Laney to tug her into a classroom students were still milling about in. "It's so different from my old school."

Laney placed her in the back row between them, offering a small, knowing smile. "Well, I'm sure that will wear off soon enough. The school is nice and all, but…the students aren't as easy to get along with. You'll see. It's ridiculous."

Cam nodded in agreement, making a face that surprised Lillian. Laney and Cam had been rather mild-mannered children, and she found herself curiously looking back and forth between them, searching for changes. She had earlier noticed that Cam had become rather handsome, but that was true of Ash as well, so it didn't come as too much of a shock. Laney too had grown to be as beautiful as she had been as a child. Lillian lifted a nervous hand to her hair, wondering if she had grown to look anymore attractive. Aside from looks, it seemed they were still the same – Cam slightly shy, but kind and honest; Laney friendly as ever, and easy to talk to. So what was it in their tired faces that struck Lillian as so different? She wanted to ponder it for a moment longer, but the teacher came barreling in at that point, looking frantically towards the clock.

The class erupted in laughter, save Lillian, who thought it was exceedingly rude to make fun at a teacher's expense. It was something her previous school had been very strictly against. The man looked around the room until his roving eyes had passed over every student. Lillian prepared to be brought before the class to introduce herself like all new students had done on the first day at her old school, but that time never came. The teacher carried on, detailing the events scheduled for the first week of school without a hint that he even knew she existed besides occasionally passing over her in his frequent eye scans.

The last thing he said silenced the room full of whispers and teasing, much to Lillian's surprise. The bell rang, students leapt to their feet, and he murmured, still facing the board, "And you get to choose clubs on Friday."

Students stared at him and then broke out into excited discussion. _It's already Wednesday_, Lillian noted. _So two more days until we get to choose clubs! _She had been an avid member of her art club and wondered if there was one in this high school as well. It sounded like a great deal of fun, and she couldn't wait to choose.

Laney and Cam, however, did not look so excited. "Seniors get forced into choosing a club," Laney explained. "If they haven't already picked one out their first three years of high schools, they have to choose one of the two."

"There's only two?" Lillian asked, stunned. "Is there an art club?"

"No," Cam answered, looking especially miserable. "But just forget about it. Don't let it bother you until you talk to Ash about it. I'm sure you two will want to join the same club. Clubs do practically _everything _together. Anyways, it's just you and Laney in your next class. I'll meet up with you guys later."

Lillian was puzzled by this and murmured in agreement. He asserted how nice it was to see her again before disappearing in the crowd of students storming the second floor. Cam had always been rather tight-lipped, but never in a manner that left such an ominous feeling. Lillian was not given a chance to ponder the situation anymore than that, however – Laney seized her arm once more and tugged her down the hall, glancing at her schedule as they went.

"So we have math together! Are you any good in math?"

"No," Lillian admitted, nervously avoiding the blonde's eyes.

Laney laughed, shrugging. "Neither am I. Oh well! We'll get some help from Cam if we ever need it. He's good at pretty much _every _school subject."

Classes continued like that for the next few blocks, with Laney trading off with Cam for the last class before lunch. She spent her ten minute break with the blonde as well, discussing topics Lillian didn't find interesting and having things she was intrigued by answered with the vaguest answers possible. She was intensely curious about these clubs but received no answer, and another question regarding the relationship between Laney and Cam was also met with heavy resistance. When she finally strode away from her English class with Cam at her side, she was exhausted with having her questions ignored and being generally overlooked by the rest of the school population.

"Not such a good first day?" Cam asked when lunch began, grinning at the drained expression on her face as she stumbled through the halls after him. When she sighed in agreement he grabbed her arm and heaved her past two girls who had been adamant about not excusing her and tugged her along next to him. "Don't worry. It'll get better."

"I hope so," Lillian mumbled. His eyes had already drifted, however, to a certain blonde who was saving a table for them. Much to Lillian's excitement another familiar face was already seated at the table – Georgia waved excitedly when they met each others eyes and instantly launched into a bout of whining when the pair reached the table.

"I can't believe I don't have classes with any of you guys," she pouted. "Me and Ash are the recluses of the school. I don't know what classes he goes to, but they must be as rare as mine. The only class I have with any of you guys is going to be the club block…right? Lillian is game to join our club, right?"

"It's _your _club," Cam muttered, folding his arms and looking away. Lillian glanced at him in surprise and noticed that Laney elbowed him when Georgia wasn't looking. The redhead turned a miffed frown towards him until he tacked on, "You already know Laney and I are going to join up with you. As for Lillian, it depends on what Ash is going to do."

Georgia sighed, folding her arms in her lap and leaning far back in her chair. Lillian watched it teeter on the brink of falling backwards nervously. "Yeah, figures. I wonder where that guy is, anyways. Have you seen him at all today, Lillian?"

"No," she mumbled. Even her old friends were acting like she was old news before she had even become new news. She gave them the benefit of the doubt, however; it seemed this club issue was weighing heavily on everyone's minds. She took the seat Georgia offered to her at the head of the table and pulled her lunch from her bag.

"Do you like it here?" Georgia asked curiously, smiling. Cam looked up from where he was sitting besides Laney, likely wondering how much of the truth Georgia would receive.

Lillian didn't want to disappoint her and put on her best smile, exclaiming, "Yeah! Everyone has made me feel really welcome!" She hated to admit that she had been expecting to be some sort of pivotal bit of information. At her old school every student was treated as an important individual meant to be cherished. Here she was just another face in the class picture, and that was a hard fact to swallow.

Georgia grinned, halving the apricot in her hand. She tossed one half towards Lillian, who struggled to catch it. "I'm glad," the girl replied, her face taking on a surprisingly peaceful expression for a moment. "It's been a long time since we've seen each other, but I want to make sure you still know that we're your friends. We know practically everything about how you've been, since Ash has kept us tuned in on the contents of every letter, every phone call, every visit…I'm glad you're back."

"Same here," Cam tacked on.

"Me too!" Laney echoed cheerfully.

Hands landed on Lillian's shoulders, and she looked up and into Ash's eyes with a smile. He grinned back down at her and murmured, "I'm glad you're back too."

"Stop it, you're grossing us all out," Georgia told him, wrinkling her nose and looking away. "It's bad enough we've had to listen to your lovesick whinin' for the past four years."

Lillian was surprised at the harshness in Georgia's words, but Ash just smirked and pulled a chair up between the girls. He met Cam's eyes, and Lillian noted that both boys were wearing the same knowing expression. "Whatever you say, Georgia," Ash answered, taking one of Lillian's raisins and popping it into his mouth. "Be a downer all you want."

Georgia spun to snap at him, but Laney leaned forward, talking over her. "Georgia is really interested in whether or not you'll be joining her club with Lillian. Everyone agreed that you two should stick to the same club, but she's worried you'll join the other one."

Lillian turned excitedly towards Ash, hopeful she would finally learn something interesting about this club matter, but Ash's expression hardened into frustration. "Yeah, we'll be in your club," he mumbled. "But it's not like either of us want to. You know what I think about the club situation. But of course we'll be in yours. Right, Lil?"

"Of course! I want to stay in a club with my friends!" Lillian declared, nodding towards Georgia.

The redhead beamed at this, looking even more radiant than usual. It was easiest to see the changes in Georgia, who had been a docile child and was now very outgoing and brash. Still, when she smiled in such a joyous manner it was easy to see the easily excited girl still inside of her. Lillian smiled and popped a raisin into her mouth as well, hope rising in her chest that she would really be able to simply reintegrate into her group of friends as though no time had passed between them. The way Georgia had put it gave her a lot of encouragement, and she noted that everyone seemed to get along well with her.

_I'll act like no time has passed too_, Lillian decided. _Just like them_.

But when she looked around the table once more, she noted that Ash's jaw was clenched and he was glaring towards the floor, mechanically reaching over for one of her raisins every few seconds. Laney and Cam were wrapped in quiet discussion and Georgia was scratching words furiously into her notebook, staring intently into its pages. She realized what was missing and turned to voice that, but before she could finish another figure sat at the table, gently setting his violin down first and then plopping down into a seat himself.

"Oh!" he exclaimed cheerfully when he saw Lillian at the other end of the table, across from him. "You must be Lillian. I've heard much about you from Ash."

Lillian turned to Ash, who looked away with a grimace. "I didn't talk about her _that _much," he mumbled.

"This is Mikhail," Georgia told her, gesturing to the boy with a grin. "He moved here two years ago and he's been hanging out with us ever since. And obviously you know who Lillian is – she moved away from here four years ago, after seventh grade, and she's finally back."

"I noticed you were in a couple of my classes," Mikhail replied, his voice rising and falling with an impressing melody.

"Really?" Laney asked, leaning forward with a guilty expression on her face. "I'm sorry, Mikhail, if we had noticed we would have-"

"It's quite alright," he countered, laughing. "Don't worry about it, Laney. It's lovely to meet you, Lillian."

Ash elbowed Lillian, who was watching the boy curiously. Her previous feelings towards her group shifted once more. How much had they changed without her? How much had they _not _changed without her? She had not expected them to stay still and wait for her to catch up. In fact, she had expected them to surge forward; she had expected to struggle to befriend them all over again. But here she found herself hanging in a strange limbo, unsure who these people were to her but certain they were friends.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mikhail," she replied, bowing her head politely.

* * *

"Club block is a free block for the first two days," Ash explained. "It comes right after this last class – the only class nobody has you in. So I'll walk you to the door, okay?"

Lillian nodded, looking around anxiously as Ash attempted to show her the way towards the only room she'd have to face alone. The nerve-wracking thought of finding him after the class ended was horrific enough, but now she was also forced to deal with _this_. No Ash, no Cam, no Laney, no Georgia, and not even Mikhail. It was naïve to expect to have at least one friend in every single one of her classes, but that certainly hadn't stopped her from clutching to that belief. "Right," she told Ash, shooting a confident smile he knew was faked in an instant. "Thanks for walking me here!"

Ash grinned, gently pushing his shoulder towards hers until she leaned against the wall with him. "You'll be fine," he murmured, nudging her shoe with his. "Don't be so nervous. I don't have anyone I know in any of my classes except math, which I have with Cam – thank Goddess, since I'm horrible at math. I just have to make new friends. You too. I'm sure there will be someone who grows to like you. I hear girls flock together."

"I think someone has been giving you a bad perception of girls," Lillian replied. "We don't hang out together just because! After all, for most of my life I only hung out with you and-"

"I've got to go," Ash interrupted, looking away. "I'll meet up with you at the front of school, alright? Just ask a teacher to point you in the right direction if you get lost."

"Huh? Wait, Ash!" Lillian grabbed onto his sleeve, hauling him back towards her. "Now that I've mentioned him, I have some questions I want to ask, and you can't just blow me off like you did in the letters. Tell me-"

The bell drowned out her last few words and Ash shook her free, winking. "You know what they say – saved by the bell. I'll meet up with you after class!"

He dashed through the hall after that, swallowed up by a horde of students who moved towards their class in the most disorderly fashion possible. Lillian stamped her foot in frustration, fully aware how childish it was. When she turned back around it was too face a classroom that held only one inhabitant – the teacher, who looked at her as though she had flown in. Averting her eyes from his she chose a seat off towards the window, following the rules Laney had suggested – second row, against the wall or the window, try to smile as people pass by. She forced a smile onto her lips, but it soon became clear that it was futile – people strolled past her without a second look, choosing the seats beside the friends they had known for years. Soon there was only one seat left – the one right in front of Lillian. She leaned her head against the window, staring out towards the schoolyard front. At least she knew where to go when this class ended. Once the club block started…then she'd have a whole new dilemma.

And then, much to her amazement, a backpack was dropped onto the desk before her and someone slid into the seat. Lillian perked up, looking hopefully towards the boy. He was cloaked in a mauve outfit, snatching the hat from his head to reveal pale brown hair only a shade darker than hers. The teacher began to stroll down the aisles, forcing students to write their names and seal their yearlong seating choices.

The boy turned to the girl next to him with a grin, observing the people he'd be surrounded with. _Try to look appealing_, Laney had said. Lillian wore her smile, but then remembered another piece of advice Cam had thrown in: _But don't look desperate_. The smile slid from her face and she turned to gaze out the window. But Georgia had told her, _Be friendly!_

So Lillian turned to face the boy at the same moment he turned around and faced her, and shock shot through her body.

"Lillian?"

"D…Dirk?"

"Well, looks like we're already got your names settled!" The teacher said cheerfully beside them, scratching their names down onto the chart. "And you two will have plenty of time to talk later, since you'll be in these seats for the rest of the year!"

Violet eyes met green, and Lillian felt a smile come onto her face.

Four years had passed, and they had finally been reunited.


	2. Getting to Know You

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Hey everyone, thank you for the support so far! I'm still very new at this type of fic so it's lovely to see all the kind words. I hope you find these chapters to continue to be interesting. (:_

* * *

The sound of Lillian's footsteps echoed throughout the long empty hallways. No matter how much she begged her teacher, his decision was final: no changes would be made to the seating chart. She listened to the reverberating sounds of her pitiful slog and hoped that Ash had given up on waiting for her. She wasn't sure how she would face him. After all these years, all these years spent hoping that she would be reunited with her two best friends again…only one of them was glad to see her.

But Ash would never have left Lillian to her own devices, and was waiting dutifully outside the now empty schoolyard for her. It amazed Lillian how quickly the campus had cleared once a mere half hour had passed. She used to stay after school for hours, chatting with her friends and helping out. It didn't seem there was that same sense of community spirit here. _Maybe when we sort into clubs, _Lillian thought hopefully. Even though Ash didn't seem very thrilled about the prospect, she had high hopes for it. The brunette struggled to put a smile on her face when she finally came to stand before Ash, but he saw right through it. He frowned, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. "What's with the face?" he asked, flicking her gently in the forehead. "You can't look so bummed on just the first day of school."

"Nothing," Lillian mumbled.

Ash sighed, falling backwards onto the grass. He patted a spot beside him that Lillian reluctantly filled, sitting carefully on top of her newest textbook. He leaned towards her, propping himself up and offering a smile she was sure worked on the rest of the school's female population, but not her, who had seen him go from diapers to puberty and knew "cool" had never been a factor. "Tell me about it," he said, wearing an encouraging smile. "If somebody is giving you a hard time, I can help out."

"No," Lillian sighed, shaking her head for several long moments as she relived the entire fiasco in her head. "No, you can't help out this time."

"Why not?" he frowned, heaving himself up into a sitting position. He tore at the grass lying before him absentmindedly, furrowing his brows in thought. It didn't look like he was expecting an answer, and he surprised her a moment later by sighing and asking, "Did you see him?"

"See…?"

"Dirk. Did you see Dirk?"

Ash didn't meet her eyes, instead staring fixedly at the grass he had shredded. His hands were clenched in fists against the ground, his knuckles whitening. Lillian looked away, and that was answer enough. He shook his head, mumbling swear words to himself before he turned to her, sympathy roaming in his eyes. She missed his look of yearning, and so he put a finger on her chin and turned her to see. When their eyes met, he noted with a shock that they were full of tears.

"He recognized me instantly," she cried out, covering her face and pulling her knees to her chest. "And I thought that after four years, he would be so happy to see me – especially since me and him never talked the way you and I did while I was gone. But all he did was tell me to stop smiling at him and leave him alone. All the kids in class laughed at me. I asked the teacher if he could move me somewhere else because he wrote my name permanently as being behind him, but he said he wouldn't. I told him that Dirk didn't want me near him and he said that he'd just have to deal with it."

It was the typical fretting of many girls Ash had spoken to, but his heart went out to Lillian. _She had no way of knowing because I didn't _tell _her_, he thought guiltily to himself. It was up to him to fill her in on Dirk's current attitude, and he had failed to do so. How was she supposed to expect such humiliation? His fists tightened for a moment before he leaned closer, wrapping his arms around her. Any other girl would have blushed at his touch, but perhaps Lillian was too used to it – she merely burrowed into the crook of his neck and his shoulder, sobbing. Ash caught spare phrases such as "Why does he hate me now?" and "Did I do something wrong?"

"It's not your fault," he murmured, running a hand soothingly up and down her back. He had expected his reunion with Lillian to go much better than it had as of late – their meetings had been limited due to the demand his sister placed on him and so far their school lives were miles apart. He had hoped that their walk home together would be something that would reside in her mind and turn the gears about in his favor, but she was already back to thinking about _him_. "He's just a jerk. That's how he is now. Ever since you left he and I have been fighting. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Lil. I didn't know how to break it to you."

Lillian pulled away, and Ash steeled himself for some well-deserved criticism. What happened, however, was much different. Her violet eyes bored into his and she murmured, "I'm sorry, Ash. I'm sorry I always got so angry at you for not telling me how he is. You should have told me you two were fighting, I…I…I didn't know." The last words were spoken so low they were nearly inaudible, flowing miserably from her tired voice.

"You don't have to apologize," Ash replied, rising to his feet and pulling her along with him. She was hopeless, really. She would never open her eyes and see him standing right in front of her. There would never come a time when she would jump at the touch of his hand. He ruffled her hair until it was sticking out in several directions, earning a cry of outrage from her. They were so close, and yet…he was still reluctant to do anything to take advantage of that closeness. He heaved her bag up onto his shoulder beside his and gestured towards the street. "Just forget about this all, okay? I'll meet up with you after your fifth block tomorrow and walk you out. Let's go home for now."

Perhaps it was Ash's spirit that encouraged Lillian to follow him without another complaint, but if anyone had asked her, she would have argued it was his sincerity. If Ash said she did not have to apologize, he meant it. If he said it wasn't her fault, then it wasn't. She trusted him infinitely.

But that trust was not enough to dull her desire to truly reunite the three of them again.

* * *

Lillian and Cam's fourth block ticked by slowly as they waited for lunch to arrive, staring at filled out _Getting to know you _worksheets. Lillian knew countless pointless facts about her peers, but still felt like she hadn't moved an inch closer to them. At her old high school they were encouraged to listen to each student talk about themselves before them all, and they offered encouraging comments afterwards. She found herself almost laughing at the idea of that now.

"Ash called me yesterday and told me you talked to Dirk," Cam murmured, staring down at his sheet and tapping at random facts. Lillian had written her name in the square reserved on his paper for someone who loves animals. His palm landed firmly on that, clenching into a fist. "I'm sorry it didn't go over so well."

"Thank you," Lillian replied softly, glancing at her own paper. Cam had filled his name in for someone who loved the outdoors, and that came as no surprise at all. As a child he had been fascinated with the local fauna, and Ash had explained to her how good he had grown to be at gardening and floral arrangements. She yearned to ask him questions about this, but couldn't help wondering where the boundaries between them lay. Could she still consider him a close friend she could say anything too? Did she need to rebuild that bond of trust between them before she could go asking about things so dear to him? She rested her head on her hand and looked at the clock. A half hour left to ponder.

Mikhail had written his name at the same place for both of them – a person who loves school. This struck her as a curious statement, considering Mikhail was still struggling to get the last few boxes filled in and looked miserable doing it. Perhaps she should treat Cam as she did Mikhail – someone she knew she was going to be friends with, but still had a lot to learn about.

"I wouldn't tell Ash if he gives you a particularly hard time in class," Cam told her abruptly, tapping his fist against the desk in an unfamiliar rhythm. "If he thinks Dirk is making things difficult for you…he'll be angry. Seniors shouldn't fight."

Lillian prepared to say that Ash would never get into a fight, but found that she wasn't so sure. Cam had spent the past four years at Ash's side. Had he grown to know more about the young man than she did? In a contest over who knew Ash the child she would win no matter what. In a contest over who knew Ash the teenager…she shuffled her feet nervously about, wondering how much she _did _know about him. They had exchanged letters frequently, called each other at least once a week, and he had managed to visit her once a year. That couldn't _possibly _make up for the countless times Cam got to see him in class, after school, at home…she decided it was for the best to take Cam's word as fact. If Ash would get angry, then Lillian wouldn't tell him.

"Okay," she replied. "You're right."

"But you can always tell me or Laney about it," Cam murmured, his hand hovering above his desk as he looked over at her. "We're friends, right?"

Lillian stared at him for a moment, surprised by the kindness in his voice. It seemed the child she had known Cam to be was still lurking beneath him, as was the case with Laney, Georgia, Ash…and maybe even Dirk. All she had to do was take that child's hand and allow them to show her what the adult was like.

"Yeah!" she told him, grinning. "Let's go help Mikhail get the rest of the names filled out."

"Good idea," Cam answered, rising to his feet and gesturing for her to transcend the tiny path offered between the closeness of their desks. He lingered as she strode over to Mikhail, however, looking down at their papers. He too wondered how much of his childhood friends he still knew. Even more than that, however, he wondered if it was even his place to instruct her how to treat her friend.

* * *

"Some of you aren't very pleased with your seating arrangements," Mr. Hamilton noted at the front of the room, his eyes scanning the faces before him and lingering on Lillian's miserable grimace. "But that's an unfortunate part of this class you will need to learn to deal with. You don't always get to choose who you associate with, and its better you learn this now – especially considering you're seniors. However, I will give you a chance. I want you to separate into two halves – the left side against the right side. We'll play a trivia game, and the winning half gets to rearrange themselves however they like. The losing half needs to deal with their seats for the rest of the year."

Mr. Hamilton's hand swung down in the middle of the classroom, separating the two teams. Friends who had chosen those seats looked at their new rivals with pouted lips and groans of frustration. Lillian stared nervously down at her desk, unsure what to do. What kinds of questions would Mr. Hamilton ask? They were in a history class, but would his questions stick to history or stray into random topics? Lillian was rather good at history, but would she be able to answer a question in front of everyone?

She balled her hands into fists and stared determinedly ahead. Cam told her that she couldn't rely on Ash when it came to this, because he would only get angry. She needed to win the competition and move away from Dirk so he wouldn't be troubled by her anymore and she wouldn't come to Ash looking so sad. She wouldn't let him see her cry again.

"This is lame," Dirk told the girl beside him. She giggled and nodded in agreement, and Lillian looked away, making a face. Dirk was rather bratty back in the seventh grade, too. Perhaps he hadn't changed much.

"You know anything about history?" the boy next to Lillian asked. She hesitated, surprised someone was talking to her, and managed a small nod. He grinned, slapping his hand on her desk. "Well, speak up then! I'd like to switch seats."

_The only person whose talked to me wants to move away from me_, Lillian thought miserably, leaning against the window and staring down at the courtyard. She could see the spot she had cried to Ash at, and that gave her new confidence. All she had to do was make it through that period and then she'd get to Ash and everything would be okay.

"You're creeping me out," the boy noted, and Lillian unclenched her fists and sat up straight, blushing. He laughed, shaking his head. "Maybe I will sit next to you. You're interesting."

"Shut up already," Dirk snapped.

The boy did not say anything else.

"Alright!" Mr. Hamilton called out, slamming his hands on his desk. Lillian was the only one to jump, much to the amusement of her classmates. She had heard whispers on the first day that revealed everyone else had had Mr. Hamilton as a teacher before and was completely used to him. _It's just me again_, Lillian sighed, covering her face and peeking at him through her fingers. The intimidating man stared ahead for a moment, clearly pondering something, and then smirked. "What jewel is purple, and also one of the spring birthstones?"

Lillian's hand shot up before several other students, much to the amazement of the boy beside her. Mr. Hamilton smiled and called on her by name, which sent a wave of relief through her. She had half-expected him to say, "Girl in yellow skirt, what is it?" Lowering her hand back to her desk she called out in the clearest voice she could manage, "Amethyst?"

Mr. Hamilton held her eyes for several long moments and then grinned, turning to the board and putting one tally mark on the left side. "One point for the left team! Good job, Lillian."

"Yeah, way to go!" the boy beside her cheered, lightly punching her in the shoulder. Lillian beamed back at him.

"These aren't history questions!" a girl on the right side complained, folding her arms.

"I never said they would be, Ms. Lake," Mr. Hamilton retorted, his voice curt. "You can pout about your misconceptions or you can do your best to answer the questions you do know. It's your life, after all."

The girl huffed and looked in the other direction, but Lillian noticed that Dirk smirked at this. His hand was tapping rapidly against the wooden surface of his desk, eagerly anticipating the moment it could be thrust into the air to answer a question. Lillian grinned at this, leaning forwards as she was sucked into the excitement of the game. She lifted her hand slightly off the desk, prepared to fling it into the air again as Mr. Hamilton asked, "In the periodic table of elements, what is the forty-sixth element?"

Lillian slid her hand under her desk onto her knees, avoiding meeting eyes with anybody.

Dirk's hand raised nonchalantly into the air when nobody else had volunteered an answer. Mr. Hamilton turned towards him with a smirk, gesturing for him to speak. "Palladium," the boy answered with a confident shrug. Mr. Hamilton didn't bother with the stare down he had given Lillian, merely adding another point to the tally marks. Everyone turned towards Dirk, shock on their faces – no one more surprised, perhaps, than Lillian.

Much to her amazement the entire class continued with Dirk easily answering every single question. The right side of the room slumped miserably against their desks, eventually not even bothering to try answering what the name of their _town_ was - they figured they'd only get that wrong too. Dirk steamrolled through the list of questions until Mr. Hamilton laughed and said, "I think the winner is obvious. Left side, go ahead and move around. Choose _carefully_."

The boy next to her grinned, gesturing towards the back of the room. "There's two empty seats back there we can sit at, if you want to move with me."

Considering this was the first person besides Ash's circle of friends that had treated her kindly, Lillian was more than willing to go. The moment she began to lift her bag, however, Dirk spun, staring at her with narrowed eyes. "Don't be a baby. There's no need to move back there. You're the one who asked to switch seats, right?"

"Uh…"

"Get over it," Dirk told her. Lillian leaned away, grimacing, and then her eyes flashed open as she saw a smile tug at Dirk's lips. He turned away before it showed, but Lillian had seen its flickering hints long enough. A smile came onto her face, and she turned towards the boy beside her. He sighed, offered a shrug, and flopped back into his seat.

"Seems the only person who considered moving was Kana, and he changed his mind. I don't understand any of you," Mr. Hamilton sighed, shaking his head. "Class dismissed."

Lillian sprung to her feet, grabbing her backpack from the floor. She was prepared to dash towards the safety of Ash's company when Dirk and the girl beside him decided to completely block her way, leaving her trapped in the aisle behind them. She considered jumping over Kana's seat to get away, but he was busy rummaging through his backpack. She leaned against her desk, craning her neck to see if she could spot Ash outside.

"That was impressive."

Lillian turned to the girl with surprise, her eyes widening. The kind-faced girl was very obviously looking at her, but it was such a shock Lillian couldn't even answer. She merely stared blankly at her, fascinated with her flowing pink hair and flawless pale skin and the fact that _she _had initiated a conversation. The girl laughed, turning to Dirk and asking, "You seem to know her. Is she always this quiet?"

"I don't know her," Dirk shrugged, looking away.

The excitement on Lillian's face fell, and she returned to her senses with a frustrated _tch_. "Thank you," she told the girl, forcing a nervous smile as she inclined her head towards her.

"Your name is Lillian, right?" the girl asked. Her feet were placed firmly on either side of Dirk's, holding him there. Kana was finally moving, but it was too late – the girl had trapped her. Lillian nodded and then gasped as the girl's hand shot forward with surprising speed. "My name is still a mystery to you. That's what I've decided, since you're the new kid. You can call me the Oracle."

Lillian blinked several times, struggling to figure out if she was being teased or not. The annoyed look on Dirk's face, however, suggested this was a regular occurrence with 'the Oracle.' She shook the hand extended towards her and mumbled, "Nice to meet you."

"Is that your boyfriend?" the Oracle asked, gesturing towards the door. Ash was leaning against the doorway, a dark look on his face as he watched her. "He looks _pretty _angry."

Lillian flushed, shaking her head. She could feel even Dirk's eyes on her now. "I better go, he's waiting," she mumbled.

"I'll go too!" the Oracle announced cheerfully. Lillian turned in horror as she watched the pink haired girl seize Dirk by the arm and drag him off towards Ash. She looped her other arm around Lillian's, yanking her forward. Ash winced along with her as she struggled to maintain her footing until she was finally released and pushed against the boy, who caught her and held her there. "Hello, Ash!" the Oracle giggled. "We haven't talked in ages."

"It's definitely been a while," Ash replied, his voice flat. Lillian could sense he was amused by the girl, however, and couldn't blame him. It was hard to understand what she was trying to do, but it was intriguing nonetheless.

"I'll introduce you to my pet. This is Dirk."

"I am _not _your pet. And I'm leaving," Dirk snapped, pulling free.

The Oracle pouted, stamping her foot in frustration. "But you always do what I ask you!"

"What am I supposed to do?" Dirk retorted, rolling his eyes. "I'm heading out. I'll see you tomorrow." He drove his shoulder into Ash's as he exited, and Lillian looked up to see her friend roll his eyes. He did not, however, pull away from Lillian, still holding onto her shoulders.

The Oracle sighed and shrugged. "What can you do? You teach them all you know and they still refuse you. Oh well, it seems like you three knew each other anyways. And he tried to claim he didn't know you," the Oracle giggled, poking her finger towards Lillian. "But he wouldn't let you switch seats, would he? I'll see you tomorrow, Lillian; and I'm sure I'll be seeing you regularly too, Ash."

With that the girl skipped off, wearing an undeterred smile. Lillian leaned around the doorway and watched her go before Ash caught her hand and tugged her away, towards the exit. "She's interesting!" Lillian told him, still straining to watch her leave. "What's her real name?"

"Hell if I know. She's definitely weird," Ash replied. He was wearing a smile, however. "You never know what she's going to do. I think we're all still unsure what club she'll choose."

"What club are we in? Do you think she might pick ours? What club will Dirk be in?" Lillian asked suddenly, glad to hear him mention the clubs. She had been holding in these questions for far too long, and saw this as a chance to blurt them all out.

Ash obviously did not share these sentiments. He led her out with a patronized sigh, his heavy footsteps trampling the fallen leaves. He did not let go of Lillian, and looked as livid as he had seemed to be in the classroom. Lillian couldn't exactly put her finger on the why, but now knew that what Cam had said was true – Dirk made Ash angry. It made sense from what he had told her the day before, but it still seemed strange. She had never seen Ash genuinely angry before, and it was still hard to take in. He struggled to keep the frustration from his voice as he retorted, "You'll find out tomorrow. Let Georgia explain all the club things."

"Okay," Lillian answered, her voice meek. _Add 'clubs' to the list of things that make Ash angry._

He seemed to sense her apprehension, for he sighed and stopped in his tracks, staring down at the grass he was trudging through. "Just…tell me if he was giving you a hard time, okay? Honestly. And I can tell when you're not being honest."

Lillian thought of Cam's words again, but knew that Ash _would _see straight through any of her lies. She hesitated and then shrugged, mumbling, "I wouldn't say he's giving me a hard time…mostly he acts like I'm not there. But he is being kind of…confusing. He said to leave him alone but when Kana asked if I wanted to sit somewhere else with him he snapped and told me to get over my problem and stay in my seat…and he smiled. So…I'm not sure what's going on with him."

She had hoped these words would soothe Ash's anger, but they didn't seem to be working. His eyes narrowed at her words, and his hand tensed around hers. Lillian smiled, tilting her head to the side. _He's concerned for me_, she realized. Those words filled her with a new sense of hopefulness. All through the previous block she had told herself that she just needed to get out of class and to Ash, and she finally had. She tightened her hold on his hand and began to tow him towards his home, laughing at his bewildered expression. "Forget about it! We need to get you back home or Cheryl won't be very happy."

Lillian turned and faced their small hometown looming far ahead of them, missing the blush that filled Ash's cheeks. _She thinks she understands_, he laughed to himself, shaking his head. Sometimes he thought Lillian was a completely different person, and sometimes he thought she hadn't changed a bit.

She was still as oblivious as ever.


	3. The President and His Vice President

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Hey everyone, thank you so much for being kind to me in regards to this story. To those of you who said they had lots of questions still unanswered, I'm sorry to keep you in the dark but some questions are gonna take a while to be answered. :P Sorry! Thank you again for the reviews and favorites and all that jazz and I hope you continue to enjoy The City! Also, for those of you curious about the clubs, I'll say this - next chapter is going to go rather in depth with club matters. (:_

* * *

"What club are you going to join, Lillian?" Kana asked, resting his head on his hand with a carefree aura Lillian had grown to expect from him. From what she had seen in the previous day and his inability to be perturbed by any insults flung his way from the teacher on that Friday, she knew it would be hard to dampen _his _spirits.

"I…I'm not really sure. I don't know anything about the clubs," Lillian admitted, frowning. When she tried to start the discussion with Georgia it had been ridiculously short-lived – Georgia had been called away by other club members for an emergency meeting, and had promised that all of her questions would be answered in the club blocks to come. "I'm joining the one Ash, Georgia, Cam and Laney are in, though."

Kana grinned, nodding. "Gotcha. You're joining Bluebell, then. I didn't know you were tight with those guys! I thought you just moved here."

"I lived here up until eighth grade – that's when I moved to the city," Lillian explained, grateful that _somebody _seemed to acknowledge she hadn't always been sitting off to the side in every class. "I knew them when I was younger. You know them all too?"

Much to Lillian's amusement, a faint blush filled Kana's cheeks. "Yeah, I know them all…but I, uh, I don't really talk to them anymore. I didn't move here until eighth grade, so I guess I just missed you."

He was struggling to maintain his smile, and that definitely struck Lillian as unusual. Still, she chalked it up to the same error she always made – assuming she knew and understood people only to be slapped in the face with the realization that she didn't know a thing about them. She wore a smile large enough for the both of them in an attempt to cheer him up, replying, "Yeah, they're great. Too bad we didn't get to know each other back then! Are you joining uh, Bluebell?"

"I highly doubt it," the Oracle answered for him. Kana flushed, burying his face in his textbook as the pink haired girl spun to face him. "You wouldn't want to get caught up with a certain old friend, would you, Kana?"

"N…not particularly."

Lillian looked around for someone to share in her apprehension, but Kana was dutifully avoiding anyone's eyes and Dirk wasn't even attempting to suppress his smirk. The Oracle was definitely intriguing, but she was also definitely a little scary. Lillian wasn't sure what she was hinting at, but she felt like Kana when those mysterious eyes turned to her too – she didn't _think _the girl had any information on her, but still felt like any mumbled word could be used against her at some point in time.

"What club are you joining, then?" Lillian asked the Oracle, hoping to take the heat from poor Kana's slumped shoulders. The boy looked infinitely grateful and rather curious as he straightened up. Ash had mentioned that the Oracle's decision would be something nobody could predict, and Lillian felt like she must be the only one foolish enough to ask about it.

The Oracle did not treat her as a fool, however. She smiled and said, "I won't be joining a club."

"You _have _to join a club," Dirk protested, rolling his eyes. "You don't have a choice. Don't make trouble for yourself _this _early in the year."

"You ruin all the fun of being a senior, don't you?" the Oracle retorted, tossing her fuchsia hair – in braids that day – over her shoulder. Dirk just rolled his eyes again, leaning back against the window. Lillian wished she could understand what he was thinking. He was acting as though he was part of the conversation, but in doing so he pretended she wasn't there – never replying to her, but immersed in a conversation she had started. _He really hates me_, she sighed, thumping her head against the window. _And I don't even know why_.

"You made poor Lillian sad," the Oracle fretted, lightly smacking Lillian in the forehead. The brunette jumped back in her seat, slamming against the desk behind her. Kana and Dirk laughed, and the Oracle giggled, offering an apologetic shrug. "Sorry! I didn't think you'd get so scared."

"Ah, hello, Lillian!"

Lillian looked up at Mikhail in shock, unsure what to do as he sat on her desk, firmly between she and Dirk. Mr. Hamilton appeared to be quite taken with the student, for he didn't mind at all that he had entered the class a good five minutes before the bell was fated to ring. In fact, much to Lillian's further surprise, they exchanged a wave. The Oracle perked up, kicking Dirk, who winced and clutched at his shin with narrowed eyes.

"Hello Mikhail," Lillian replied, grinning up at him. She had still hardly gotten to know him, but found him an amiable enough companion for her first few days at school. He was remarkably kind, honest, and spoke in such a sincere manner she trusted him before he even gave her a reason too. "What are you doing here?"

"I offered to come meet you so I could show you the way to the club room, since Ash had to go early and was worried about you finding your way," he told her, wearing the kind smile she expected from him as much as she expected the boisterous grin from Kana. "Was I interrupting anything?"

The Oracle answered this time, kicking her feet back and forth like a child. "Nope! We were just teasing Lillian. Dirk was about to scold me for it."

Lillian leaned around Mikhail, trying to suppress the hope that this was the truth. Dirk merely rolled his eyes at the Oracle and shook his head, leaning farther back against the window until he was out of her view again. She felt Mikhail's sympathetic eyes on her but ignored them, murmuring, "Thanks for coming. You're in our club too, then?"

"He's been in the club," the Oracle noted. Mikhail was clearly surprised that she knew this tidbit, for his eyebrows rose with a hint of amusement. "Him and Georgia are two of the only seniors to already have been in a club. Usually nobody picks until they're forced into it, but those two chose to join back in freshmen year, I believe."

"You're starting to get a little creepy," Kana admitted, fussing with his ponytail.

"That's part of her charm," Dirk replied sarcastically, kicking his feet up on her desk. "So Ash had to go to the club block early…interesting."

Lillian frowned and noted that Mikhail's expression grew wary as well. She still wasn't particularly sure about the relationship between Ash and Dirk, but Ash had made it clear it wasn't a particularly friendly one. From what she saw when she leaned even further around Mikhail, he had _something _on his mind that appeared to be less than pleasant. The Oracle sighed, shrugging her shoulders towards Lillian. "What can you do? Boys will be boys. Would you like to hear something interesting I know, new girl?"

The brunette nodded eagerly, surprised that the Oracle would turn the question towards her, but Dirk leaned forward and put his hand in her face, causing her to lean back with wide eyes. "No, you don't," he answered for her.

"How unfortunate," the Oracle pouted. "I like to share the most interesting things I know with the people they concern."

Kana and Mikhail both looked to Lillian for her reaction, but she wasn't too sure _what_ to think. From what everyone had told her at lunch, the Oracle was a mysterious girl that nobody knew much about and spent most of her time apart from her fellow students. Still, judging by the reactions Kana and Dirk had displayed, she knew more than the average high school student. If she knew something regarding Lillian, it could encompass hundreds of different things – something about her relationship with friends, something about her old school, something she herself still hadn't discovered. Knowing Dirk didn't want it voiced made her even more unsure.

"Some things are better left unsaid," Dirk replied, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair once more. Lillian tried to meet his eyes, but they only landed on hers for a second before darting to the other end of the room, an ominous glint to them.

* * *

"So we're in club…Bluebell, was it?" Lillian asked Mikhail as he escorted her through the hallways. It was messier than usual, considering half of the campus was heading in one direction and the other half towards the opposite end of school. He was carrying her textbooks in a chivalrous manner she found went perfectly with the character he had already shown to her, and was doing his best to ensure she wasn't jostled too much by the students rushing past. "And you joined it back in your freshman year?"

"Correct," Mikhail answered, his voice like a cheerful song. He was carrying his violin case and messenger bag in one hand and looked like he was struggling to carry everything. An offer to take back her textbooks, however, was opposed. "It's bad manners to have you carrying around all these books, especially when you're so unfamiliar with the environment. It's not too much further, anyhow. I think you'll enjoy the club."

Lillian smiled over at him, amused by the excitement in his eyes. "Do you like the club?"

"I like it very much," he murmured, his brisk walk suddenly stalling as he smiled to himself. He looked over at her and then gestured towards a door at the end of the hall. "It's in here."

She was engulfed instantly by Laney and Georgia, who eagerly pulled her along to their seats. She barely had time to retrieve her textbooks from Mikhail and thank him as they tugged her along. Georgia was particularly excited, blurting out, "I've been in this club for four years and I _love _it and I hope you'll like it too, but I have something I really need your help with, if you don't mind, because he is _so _stubborn-"

"Georgia," Laney interrupted with a grin, winking at Lillian when the redhead turned to her with an oblivious, questioning frown. "She still has _no_ clue what's going on. You might have to slow down a bit."

The room was packed with roughly one hundred students, and Lillian realized instantly that they were all looking to Georgia for leadership. Her friend hastened to explain this, telling her in a much slower manner, "All the officers have to be seniors, so new arrivals look towards people who have been in the club for a while for leadership. The two people who have been in this club for the longest time are Mikhail and me, so we're the de facto leaders until I suggest who I want to be elected for positions."

"You get to choose?" Lillian asked excitedly. "Are you going to be president?"

Georgia paled, shaking her head. She averted her eyes from Lillian's as she mumbled, "No, I'm not cut out to be president. But that's why I need your help. Pretty much _none _of these people have any interest in being in a club. They're only here because seniors _have _to join a club. I don't have time to explain everything to you, but I'll say this – the club you choose is very important. Clubs compete constantly, and only one club can win at the end of the year."

"Win…what?" Lillian asked, frowning. "What kinds of competitions?"

"No, don't talk to her!" Ash called out from his seat at the front of the room when he saw them approaching. "Don't listen to a thing she says."

Laney giggled as Georgia huffed, rolling her eyes. "I haven't even asked her yet, but I know she'll agree! You have so many leadership qualities, Ash, and I think it'd be a good choice for you."

"No, _you_ don't want to do it so you're making me!" Ash protested, rising from his chair to show Lillian where she could deposit her things. "I don't even want to be in a club, I don't want to run one either-"

"You want Ash to be president?" Lillian asked, struggling to keep her voice level. She wasn't sure he was the best choice, considering he had never been the best at pep talks or gathering people together. He was an amiable boy, sure, and he easily reached out to people, but to one _hundred _people? She wasn't so sure about that.

Georgia sighed, shooting a dark look towards Ash before she returned her gaze to Lillian. "I know it sounds like it's out of the blue, but I think he'd be good for it! Everyone here is in the same position as Ash – they're joining this because they have to, not because they want to. I think he would better be able to reflect their opinions than I would. Ash is outgoing, easy to talk to, and he's calm enough to handle all kinds of disputes. I think he'd be great for this."

"Oh, good, Cam is here," Ash sighed in relief, heading towards the door. "He'll help me convince you to just take the position yourself."

Georgia waited until Ash and Laney had walked away before she turned to Lillian, her eyes filled with a vulnerability Lillian would never have expected from the audacious girl. "I know it seems like I'm being a coward right now," she admitted, her voice so low it nearly went unheard. "But…please, Lillian. I…I just can't do this. You have to help me convince him to take this position. None of the seniors forced into this will volunteer for the job, so that leaves me to appoint one of us. I think out of the six of us, Ash is our best choice for president. He'll do it…but only if _you_ ask him too."

Everything about Lillian's tone struck Lillian – it was mournful, as though every word went against what she wanted, and strung with fear. The brunette knew Ash would be frustrated if she took Georgia's side, but she didn't think she could do anything else. Looking into those miserable eyes made her feel like she had no choice. So when Ash came up behind Georgia and began to reassert that he was refusing the prospect, Lillian turned to him and asked, "Why can't you do it, Ash? I think you'd be a good choice too."

She felt Georgia's incredibly grateful eyes on her, but avoided them. Ash looked stunned that she had so quickly went along with the idea and took a step closer to her, asking in a whisper, "Are you serious? I can't get all these kids to listen to me! And…look, you don't understand, Lillian. I hate these club competition things. Being president of one of them…I'm going to go through a lot just for the title. And the Konohana president…ugh, you don't get it."

Lillian wanted to revoke her support, but couldn't do it. Georgia's voice rung in her ears. _"I…I just can't do this." _She stared at her feet for a moment and then lifted her eyes towards his. "Please?" she murmured, offering up an apologetic smile.

Ash held her eyes for a moment before groaning, running a hand through his already disheveled hair. "Georgia," he snapped without turning around. "If I do this, then Lillian is going to be my vice president."

"What?" Lillian gaped, lifting her hands almost defensively before her, as though she could fight off the suggestion. "I don't know anything about this club thing, I'm a terrible choice!"

"If you want me to do this so much, then this is all I ask for in return," Ash answered, folding his arms pointedly. His frown had changed to an arrogant smirk, and Lillian narrowed her eyes at him. He had caught her in her own trap – if she was to help Georgia, she too had to take the fall. "And then the rest of us have to fill the remaining positions."

Georgia glanced at Lillian, who swallowed hard and muttered, "Fine. I'll be your vice president."

The redhead clapped her hands together in excitement, looking prepared to faint from relief. "Thanks guys! Seriously." Her roving eyes landed purposely on Lillian's with her words, and the brunette inclined her head towards her in reply. She definitely needed to find out what was going on with Georgia, but all she could do for the moment was help her.

Ash didn't forgive her right away, avoiding making eye contact with her as they took seats that had been set aside for them at the front of the room. Cam sat on her other side and offered an apologetic shrug that she smiled gratefully at. Georgia made her way to the makeshift podium at the front of the room, completed with stacked boxes, and cleared her throat. The mass of students waiting didn't seem to care that she was prepared to speak, but silenced themselves nonetheless, wearing frowns.

"As the longest standing member of this club," Georgia began, her eyes wide and determined as she stared out at the seniors glaring up at her. "I would like to nominate someone as president and vice president. My suggestion for president would be Ash, and vice president Lillian. Are there any issues with that?"

Lillian glanced towards Mikhail, who was sitting two chairs down from her, and wondered why he wasn't standing with Georgia as well, being an equally longstanding member. He didn't seem to mind, however, and merely smiled out towards the crowd. Ash glared at their peers as they turned to see the people Georgia was pointed towards. It became quickly evident that nobody was going to bother arguing the choices, however, for they all shrugged, and one person in the back shouted, "Who cares?"

Georgia paled in embarrassment, and Ash rose, shooting a dark look at the boy who had called that out. He gestured for Georgia to take his departed seat and she did so gratefully, sliding beside Lillian with a measure of humiliation Lillian didn't think she deserved to feel. _Maybe she's shy about talking in front of people? _The brunette did not put much stock in this possibility, however, considering Georgia had seemed to easily strike up conversations with everyone. Beside her the girl dug her nails into her knees, much to Lillian's shock. _I'll need to ask her about this later_, she decided, but chose to pretend she hadn't noticed for the moment as Georgia looked up and around anxiously.

"I'll be the president of Bluebell, then," Ash announced, his voice ringing clearly across the room. Lillian noted that one girl in particular seemed infatuated with him and rolled her eyes. _He doesn't even want to do this_, she thought with a level of frustration much unlike her, folding her arms. "Obviously this is not the ideal situation for anyone, but we all want to win, so we should make the best of it and try to come together as a club."

"Win what?" Lillian asked Cam, figuring he was more likely to answer than Georgia, who was still clawing at her legs.

Cam hesitated and then murmured, "I'll tell you in class on Monday."

Lillian furrowed her brows in confusion but didn't press. Ash was still talking, anyways, leaning lazily across the podium. "As president I would like to appoint several other club officers. Is that a problem?" Everybody looked around and shrugged once more, supporting the general consensus that nobody particularly cared. Ash turned towards the group and frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "Cam, will you be my treasurer?" he asked.

Cam didn't look even the slightest bit surprised. He merely grinned at Ash and called out, "Sure."

"Laney, will you be the secretary?"

"Okay!" she answered cheerfully on Cam's other side, smiling back at him.

"Perfect, then that's that-"

"What about the sergeant at arms?" Georgia protested.

Ash turned towards her again, raising an eyebrow. "Look, if you wanted to be a club officer you should have told me. You don't have to make things up."

"I'm not making it up!" she argued, her voice rising with frustration. Several members of the crowd began to laugh, and she turned towards her friends for support. Lillian stared blankly back at her, having never heard of the position before, and Cam and Mikhail seemed to share her opinion. After receiving a pointed look from Georgia, however, Laney said, "Oh, right, the sergeant at arms! Georgia would be a great choice for that."

Lillian looked towards Ash, who just laughed and shook his head. "Okay, fine. Georgia, will you be my sergeant at arms?"

"Okay," she answered cheerfully.

The boy laughed once more and turned towards the crowd, asking if there were any questions or concerns. Lillian turned to the redhead beside her, tilting her head to the side with a questioning look. "What does a sergeant at arms do?" she asked curiously.

"Well, they arrange the meeting room, greet everybody who walks in, keeps track of club property…I guess you could say I handle the littler things so you guys can focus on your individual positions," Georgia explained with a grin.

"I thought you were nervous about talking to different people," Lillian murmured.

Georgia laughed, shaking her head. "What gave you that idea? I love talking to people. I can talk to anyone and everyone."

"Oh," Lillian replied softly, turning towards Ash. She did not tune into his speech, however, instead running through further possibilities in her mind. _Why was she so worried about being president, then, if it's not that she doesn't want to talk to them all the way Ash is? _From the way she was acting, it was clear the entire thing made her uncomfortable. _But why? _Lillian fretted, frowning towards the crowd.

Ash didn't cover much, instead turning the club block over to the crowd, suggesting that they break into groups and discuss certain possibilities. Lillian turned hopefully towards him, prepared to ask questions, but he was dragged off towards a group of girls grinning excitedly and raising their hands high into the air.

"Don't worry about it," Cam told her, wearing a faint smile. "I'll tell you everything on Monday."

Lillian returned his smile, but felt like demanding answers right that very moment. What she did, however, was turn to Georgia and ask in a voice low enough that Cam wouldn't hear, "What club is Dirk in?"

Georgia turned to her with surprise and then offered a gentle smile, glancing at Ash and then back to the girl beside her. "Dirk is definitely going to be in the other club – Konohana. He's already been in the club since freshman year. To be honest…I wouldn't be surprised if he was club president too."

The brunette gasped at this, turning towards Ash. _"And the Konohana president…ugh, you don't get it." _Guilt churned in her stomach as the boy turned back towards her and grinned before moving towards a new group of students eager to voice their opinions.

_This_, she thought nervously to herself, frowning towards the floor, _isn't the reunion I wanted either._


	4. Fundraising

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Thanks everyone for the reviews and favorites! This chapter we're going in-depth with the clubs, so hopefully it answers a lot of your questions! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy. (:_

* * *

"Being a secretary is pretty interesting," Laney declared, grinning at the brunette beside her. Laney had decided their regular break hangout would be right beside Lillian's third block class to ensure she wouldn't get lost stumbling through the halls alone. "All I had to do was copy down everything Ash said, how long the official meeting was, and then the suggestions everyone gave him later. I like copying everything down like that."

"It'll probably get tougher later on," Lillian responded absentmindedly, checking the clock once more. Third block was the one class she and Cam had without anyone else, and she was looking forward to finally receiving some answers to the questions that had been building up throughout the weekend. Laney's excitement about the club was growing with her increased involvement, but when Lillian had spent the day before with Ash he had seemed to get more and more frustrated about being president. It always came back to the same question – what was the point of forcing seniors into clubs?

Laney sighed, glancing over at the clock as well. "Yeah, I know. Then I'll probably hate my job. Picking Cam as treasurer was a good idea. He's reliable enough to handle all of the funds. I don't know anyone more dependable than him, actually."

_This _perked Lillian's interest. She had been curious about the relationship between Laney and Cam ever since she first saw them again, and every day she grew to believe they were dating more and more. Her initial questions had been shut down, but there _had _to be a reason those two were so inseparable and shared so many private smiles. "You know Cam a lot, don't you?" Lillian asked eagerly, now willing the clock to slow down rather than speed up.

The blonde's cheeks turned a feeble shade of pink, a smile on her lips. "You could say that. We live together, after all."

"What? Really?" Lillian gaped, stunned that she had missed out on this pivotal piece of information.

"Mhm. Cam's parents had to move back to the city a little after you left, since there were no jobs for them here. They chose to board Cam here, though, because he always got sick when they took him back to the City. He has really bad asthma, and he had attacks all the time over there. He hardly ever sees gets to talk to his parents now, but I feel like he's part of our family. I spend almost all of my time with him, so I guess I do know him pretty well."

Lillian leaned back against the wall, smiling. Laney was wearing such a lovely expression on her face it was a shame Cam wasn't there to see it. She decided to be brave and ask the question on her mind, replying, "Have you two ever dated?"

"No!" Laney burst out, waving her hands frantically before her. The shocked reaction caught Lillian – who was nearly struck by the flapping hands – off guard, and she hurriedly set off to apologize. "No, no, it's fine, you don't have to apologize. A lot of people get that idea because we're close, but it's not like that. We're more like…like, you and Ash."

_Me and Ash_, Lillian repeated to herself, tilting her head to the side. How did someone from the outside looking in describe her relationship with Ash, anyways? She turned to ask Laney what she meant, but the bell rang and Laney hastened to sweep her possessions up. "Have fun in class!" she told her, hurrying to get away. "I'll see you at lunch!"

Lillian waved after her, but the blonde was hastening away so quickly she didn't even look over her shoulder to catch it as she fled. Frustration washed through Lillian, who felt like a fool for pushing the topic. _I really do have a lot to learn about all of them_, she sighed, turning towards the open classroom door. As Laney's words went through her head, however, she wondered how much she knew about herself. _Me and Ash…what kind of relationship _do _we have?_

* * *

"What do you want to know first?" Cam asked, pushing the worksheets he had finished for both he and Lillian off to the side. Lillian had considered herself mildly clever from her past experience with school, but Cam put that to shame. He blew through the questions as though they were for kindergarteners, as impressive as Dirk had been during the trivia game. _That's something new I learned about a friend today_, Lillian thought cheerfully to herself. As curious as she was about the clubs, she was even more curious about who her friends were.

"Why do we have these clubs in the first place?" Lillian asked, frowning. "Why only two, and not more? And…I mean…what _is _Bluebell? I don't understand. Is it just a social club?"

Cam grinned, spinning his pencil in his hands. "I guess that's something people should have filled you in on sooner. Well, to explain it, I have to give you a history lesson. The clubs themselves are sort of strange if you don't know the background story." He looked to her for approval and she nodded her head eagerly, leaning over her desktop towards him. He put his pencil tip against the paper and hesitated another moment, and began to sketch as he talked. "The story goes that a long time ago, maybe seventy years or so now, the place this school lies was just an empty mountain summit between two towns. Those towns were Bluebell and Konohana. The towns had been feuding for years and years to the point where one of them – nobody is sure who or how or why – sealed up the tunnel that led between them so they would only meet for weekly competitions. Bluebell was a town that made its money off of livestock, and Konohana from crops."

Lillian glanced at the flower he was drawing, stretching from the bottom of his worksheet to the top, buds forming along the way. He frowned momentarily and then continued on, his pencil etching rapidly across the page. "There was a farmer who came and tried to fix the fighting. She made a lot of progress too…but she ended up settling down permanently in one of the towns, marrying someone and starting a family. After that she gave up on the task and just handled her own family affairs. Time went on and the area started to get more industrialized, and the school was built here and those towns turned into tourist destinations that didn't really have the rivalry going on anymore. But the principal here – someone who lived in one of the towns when he was a kid – decided to keep the rivalry going with the senior class. Senior class trips are a big deal for most schools, but since our school is a public school out in the middle of nowhere it's hard to bring in those kinds of funds. He decided that a series of weekly competitions between two clubs named after the rival towns would decide which team won and got to go on the class trip. So Bluebell became something of an animal club and Konohana a gardening club. Most fundraisers and events revolve around those two themes. The idea is pretty ridiculous now, after being used for so many years, but it's become more of a tradition. We keep it around just because it would take too much work to come up with a new one, apparently."

Cam's tale ended on a bitter note, and Lillian looked at his paper again to see that the final flower that should have bloomed the most beautifully was drawn as though it had already died, with crumbling petals falling through the answers he had penciled in earlier. She struggled to take in all this information at once. _I'm in the animal club, then. That's good, I like animals_, she shrugged to herself. _And now we have to have these weekly competitions…and whoever wins gets to go on the class trip…_She didn't understand why people fought so hard throughout the year for one trip, and turned to Cam and voiced this. "I mean," she tacked on, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "Is the class trip to some really fantastic place?"

He smiled, hesitating for a moment. "Well, it's a fantastic place to some people. It really depends on who you ask. If you go around asking why people even want to win, however, you're bound to upset a few people. As for me…I think the ends justifies the means. It may not seem much of a big deal to you, considering you just returned from there, but for the senior class trip…you get to go to the City."

* * *

"What do you mean, is the City a big deal?" Kana asked, stunned. "It's a _huge _deal! Most kids out here have never been to the city a day in their life. I mean, I was lucky enough to visit a few times, but a lot of kids here…it's their _dream_."

"Shh!" Lillian hissed, looking nervously towards the Oracle and Dirk. She hadn't wanted to ask any further questions from Cam, who had crossed out his entire drawing after answering her, but had hoped that Kana would be kind enough to supply her with some answers. So far it seemed she had made another bad decision in whom to discuss this with, for much to her frustration the Oracle turned around and grinned at the two.

"You spent four years in the city, didn't you, Lillian?" the Oracle asked, cheerfully jumping into the conversation as though she had been part of it all along. "It must seem like _pretty _lame trip for you, huh? How do you like Bluebell so far? I heard something very interesting about your participation in it."

Lillian blushed, pulling gently at the hair she had slipped behind her ear. "You mean about me being vice president? The club is…nice…I don't know if I'm cut out to be vice president though."

Dirk snapped his gaze to the Oracle, his eyes questioning. She turned to him and grinned, gesturing towards Lillian. "If you want to know the rest of the club officers, just ask her. She knows them all very well. They're her best friends."

_Best friends_, Lillian smiled to herself. The words encouraged her to turn towards Dirk, who was glaring at her as though he wished she would fly straight back to the city. She looked away again, feeling the warmth of the Oracle's words fade away. She began to mumble despite his refusal to voice the question, explaining, "Ash is the president, and to convince him to be the president I had to become his vice president. Cam is the treasurer, and Laney is the secretary." _And Georgia is the sergeant at arms_, she tacked on in her head, but felt like voicing that would only make everyone tease her as much as they had teased Georgia.

"Interesting," the Oracle noted, but her further words were cut short as Dirk shoved himself to his feet, yanking his backpack from the ground. Mr. Hamilton turned to ask what was going on, but the Oracle called out, "He's Konohana's club president, so he has to leave early now."

"Oh, right, right. Any club officers can go ahead and head out early," Mr. Hamilton called to the rest of the class.

Panic shot through Lillian, who knew she would never be able to find her way. The Oracle, in a manner that should not have been surprising considering it was her, turned to Kana and said, "Lillian doesn't know how to get to the Bluebell club room. Go show her."

"Why can't you show her?" he replied, tensing up.

The Oracle smiled, gathering her things. "I have to go talk to the principal about my refusal to join a club. Have a good day, you two."

They watched her go in amazement and then rose to their feet themselves, Kana's cheeks red for whatever reason. He led her past Mr. Hamilton's desk, noting that the man snorted to see _her _as one of the club officials, and out the door. "The Oracle is really weird," he told her in a hushed voice, shaking his head. "I feel like she knows everything about me even though we've hardly ever talked. In fact, the only person I do see her talk around is Dirk. When he's not there she doesn't say a word to _anyone_. I can't tell if they're tight or not, though. It doesn't seem like they're friends, but they don't act weird around each other. I mean, he's the only person I know who doesn't treat her weirdly."

Lillian hugged her textbooks to her chest, biting her lip in thought. "She is a little weird, but I like her…though I think it's weird she knows everything about me too. I'm not sure what all she does know, but I'm nervous anyways…even though I don't think I should be. She's nice, though. Maybe they knew each other when they were younger, or something."

"That would make sense, but I dunno…it feels like the Oracle just appeared out of nowhere. I don't remember seeing her around until last year. She just showed up right before winter break as though it was perfectly natural to arrive so late in the year. I think she's nice too, though. I like her, as long as she doesn't try to use whatever she knows against me." He shuddered at the thought, shaking his head. "Anyways, your club room is at the end of this hall on the left."

Lillian looked at the short distance between them and the door and wondered why Kana didn't just walk several more steps to drop her off. It seemed strange, considering he still had plenty of time to trek back to his clubroom, and he apparently wasn't a club officer. Still, he had been kind enough to show her to the room in the first place. She thanked him and entered by herself, earning a look of approval from Ash. "You actually found your way over here?" he asked cheerfully. "I was about to send someone to help you."

"Actually, Kana walked me over here," Lillian explained, embarrassed that she had lost her chance to impress everyone just a bit.

Georgia laughed, shaking her head. "Why didn't he walk you all the way in?" she asked, wearing a smug expression.

"Uh…I don't know…"

"Georgia," Laney murmured warningly. "That's not very nice. Anyways, Lillian, your job is to help Ash with planning the events, so you should probably stick with him throughout the meeting."

Lillian nodded, noting that Cam and Laney were already glued to each other. Laney blushed when she saw the brunette's eyes lingering on this, springing away from Cam and towards a laptop she had set out to record the meeting's discussion with. Georgia followed her, frowning towards the door. Ash shrugged when she turned back to him, saying simply, "They may be my friends, but even I don't understand what the hell they're up to half the time. Anyways, Cam told me he filled you in on all of the club stuff."

"Yeah, he did."

Ash noted the edge in her voice and sighed. "I'm sorry I kept you in the dark about everything. I _hate _the clubs. I hate the rivalry, I hate the pointless competitions, and I hate the lame prize. There's nothing good about them at all. We have to have a meeting with the Konohana president and vice president today after school, too. It's going to be just as ridiculous. We have to agree on what to do as our first fundraiser."

Lillian opened her mouth, fully prepared to answer that Dirk really _was _the Konohana president, but something changed her mind about it. When he looked at her expectantly she instead asked, "Why do we have fundraisers?"

When the words left her mouth she felt lingering frustration for not just telling him. Was it Cam's words holding her back? She couldn't be certain, but she just _couldn't _be the one to tell Ash about Dirk. She wasn't sure how he'd react, and though she knew it would be best for him to be completely informed about their new opponents, she couldn't. He didn't notice this internal battle, instead shrugging and saying, "Well, as for right now it's not sure, but there could be any number of reasons for us to need money in the future. We might need to buy something to use at the competition, we might need to host club events to keep the group together, and we might need to buy something – like an actual podium, for instance," he muttered in frustration as the boxes threatened to give way as he wrote furiously away in his notebook. "It's better to be safe than sorry. Georgia says the clubs do some big winter event that we need to save money up for at the least, so we'll consider that our goal for now."

"Oh," Lillian replied simply, watching the students filter into the room. Georgia greeted them as they came – some people stopped to chat with her and others blew on by, solidifying their disinterest. It didn't seem to faze the redhead, however; she continued calling out excited hellos to everyone who entered the room as though she didn't notice a single person blowing past her.

Ash's eyes darted to Lillian, who was focusing too much on Georgia to notice. He knew her well enough to know something was on her mind, but also knew he had already pressured her enough to reveal her thoughts. She had been frustrated by his vague answers to her numerous questions, and the thought of adding more frustration with a continual demand to know the inner workings of her complicated thoughts worried him. Instead he murmured, "We need to think of a fundraiser, then. Preferably something to do with animals. Principal Rutger and the buzzers appreciate that."

"Huh?" Lillian turned her curious gaze to him, awash with fresh confusion. "What are buzzers?"

Ash sighed, annoyed that he had once again forced her to feel out of the loop. He gestured towards Georgia, who had finished the greetings and was now heading past them. He caught her shoulder and spun her around, earning a punch in the shoulder. "What?" she snapped, her cheeks red.

"Can you explain to Lillian about the buzzers? You're the one who came up with the lame name, anyways."

Georgia swung at his shoulder again, this time very narrowly missing. The president of Bluebell rolled his eyes, glancing out towards the crowd. "And make it fast, I want to start with the fundraising ideas as soon as possible. We had three last time that were pretty good."

The redhead caught Lillian under the arm, tugging her far away from the crowd of uninterested students pressing forward to better hear what was going on. She pulled her all the way to the far wall of the room, glancing at the clock. She still looked flustered at being caught so suddenly, though Lillian wasn't sure why that shock hadn't quite faded yet. She looked over her shoulder and then began to murmur, "Principal Rutger decides which club gets to go to the city using a score out of one hundred. Whoever has the highest number wins. Winning each weekly competition is worth five points, but buzzers also get to take away and give points."

"Wait...do we get to see these scores?" Lillian interrupted, tacking on a quick apology afterwards.

"It's fine, ask whatever you want. We just have to make it quick. Well, we see the scores at the competitions. The principals-"

"Principals? I thought it was just Principal Rutger?"

Georgia smiled, offering up an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I keep forgetting you don't know much about all this. Well, Principal Rutger handles a lot of things, but he has a co-principal. Principal Ina handles all the behind the scenes stuff. She keeps this school running. Anyways, the principals will tells us the scores. Rutger knows Bluebell's and Ina knows Konohana's. They don't get along very well, so they'll definitely encourage the rivalry. Anyways, buzzers: they're members of the clubs that we _think _are just regular members, but are actually feeding information to the principal in charge of our club. They're like...uh..."

"Narcs?" Lillian offered. That was something she had heard in the city before, but had never expected out in the middle of nowhere.

"Exactly! They're narcs. I named them buzzers long ago because they're like bees, running back to the hive with information. Get it?"

"It's lame," Ash mumbled, surprising Lillian by putting his hands on her shoulders. She jumped, and Georgia rolled her eyes. _You were way more surprised when he spun you around_, she protested miserably to herself, feeling like a fool. "Anyways, is she all caught up? I've got everything set up. Laney and Cam helped me get the ideas sorted out." Georgia muttered that they were done and stomped off, plopping down besides Laney, who looked worriedly between her friends. Lillian turned a questioning look to Ash, who shrugged. "She's like that sometimes. Just forget about it. Back me up, alright?"

"Okay," she smiled, following him to the podium. Luckily for Ash he was well-known enough to attract attention without having to force others to offer it up, and instantly the students hushed before him. Lillian noted guiltily that Mikhail was standing out in the crowd rather than sitting up with the leaders despite his long-term stint as a member.

He launched into a greeting to everyone, and amazingly enough the members murmured a half-hearted response. Lillian had been expecting them to stare blankly up at him. He glanced over towards his vice president, who offered an encouraging smile, and then grinned out towards his peers once more and called out, "We need to decide on a fundraiser so we can have a suitable savings. On Friday I went around and asked for suggestions, and my officers and I have chosen the top three. Number one: opening a grooming service for animals. Number two: walking dogs. Number three: putting together a sort of fair for animals and their owners."

"That's _stupid_!" someone called from the center of the room, his hands cupped over his mouth.

"Why is everything about animals?" someone else asked.

Ash glared out at the room, looking extremely frustrated. Lillian nervously looked around, worried what the buzzers would say of such a disarray. "I don't know if you all realized this when you joined this club," Ash snapped, "but this is Bluebell - the animal club. Principal Rutger appreciates it when we stick to the theme for fundraisers. And you know what you-"

"Please keep in mind that it was your fellow members who came up with these ideas!" Lillian interrupted, slamming her hands down on the makeshift podium in hopes to silence Ash's harsh words. "These are three good suggestions, so please talk amongst yourselves and we'll rejoin you in several minutes for the ultimate decision!"

Ash sighed, slamming his head down onto the podium. "I just can't do it, Lil. I hate this all so much."

Lillian patted his head, gently ruffling his hair. "Don't worry. I'm sure it'll get better."

"No it won't," he huffed dramatically. "Nobody wants to be here. _I _don't even want to be here. I'm already tired of all of this. How am I supposed to rile these people up and get them excited over fundraisers when I'm not even excited? When they don't even care about this?"

He looked miserably into Lillian's eyes, and she gave his hair one last fluff before she winked and dashed down the stairs into the crowd. "What do you think?" she asked a random group excitedly. They all sighed and looked around, rolling their eyes. Lillian continued on, moving from group to group and asking question after question. Most of her answers were grumbles, but she found that the general consensus was clear - nobody wanted to walk or clean animals. They wanted to do something fun, preferably with _people_.

"It looks like the fair is the most popular idea going around," she told Mikhail when she finally wound her way to him. "Was there something like that in one of the years you were in this club?"

Mikhail looked grateful to be spoken to, offering her a wide smile. "There were definitely many things like that, yes. But it is a good idea for bringing people together and the funnest suggestion I heard. I'd say it's a safe bet to kick off this year with such a lovely bout of fun."

Lillian breathed a sigh of relief. The way Mikhail put it definitely added a positive spin. "Who would be in charge of planning it, then?" she asked, grinning back at him.

He chuckled to himself, attempting to stifle his laugh with a cupped palm. "Well, actually, Lillian...that would be your job as vice president."

"W...w...what?! Me?! I don't know how to plan a fair!"

"I can help you," Mikhail asserted. "I'd like to keep an eye on everyone, anyways. It is very difficult to run a club, and I want to help."

His eyes were nervous, and avoided meeting hers. Lillian didn't dwell on this, however - the suggestion of help in such a daunting task sent fresh relief spiraling through her. "Perfect!" she exclaimed. "We can plan it in second and fourth block then!"

"That would be quite alright with me," he answered, smiling once more.

"What's the game plan?" Ash asked when she joined him, the boy still wearing a forlorn expression. Lillian wondered what it would take to convince him that the club was not already a lost cause. _Maybe he _was_ a bad choice for president_, she fretted. _Maybe I made_ _the wrong decision._

But she was unwilling to dampen Ash's spirits any further, promising instead to do whatever it took to make him the president she believed he could be. If that meant she had to plan the perfect festival to bring the group together, then she would do it. She thumped her fist against the podium, staring out towards the crowd that looked surprised at the echoing noise the half-filled boxes made. "Alright, everyone! Our fundraiser choice is a fair! We'll have to invest some money to make the money, so next club meeting we'll be taking donations for the fair. Please chip in as much as possible, it would be greatly appreciated. We'll put together a great fair, but it'll take a lot of planning! Okay?"

The students looked around and shrugged, but it was impossible to ignore the bit of excitement that ran through the crowd. They all agreed, but before she finished speaking Cam caught her, tugging her away from the podium and gesturing for Ash to go on.

"What is it?" she asked nervously.

"A fair costs a _lot _of money to put together, Lillian! We don't have that kind of money. Principal Rutger only gave us a tiny bit of money to start off with. We can't put together a huge fundraiser like that so fast!"

The brunette couldn't recall ever seeing Cam so flustered, but realized that his position as treasurer gave him the right to be so harsh. "But the donations..." she protested weakly.

"Lillian...nobody is going to be making donations," Laney murmured, appearing at Cam's side wearing a guilty grimace. "Nobody is interested enough in this club to do something like that."

"Ah...well...d...don't worry! Mikhail and I have a plan! Everything is going to work out!"

Laney and Cam exchanged a nervous look. Lillian felt her resolve swaying before them, but forced herself to maintain her determined expression. Georgia pushed her way between them, cocking her head to the side. "What's the plan?"

"It's...a secret for now. But don't worry! We can do it. Just...just trust me!"

The three friends glanced at each other and then back to the newcomer, looking doubtful. Lillian looked over her shoulder, catching Ash's eyes. Even _he_ looked doubtful. _But it's not over yet,_ she told herself. _I can do this. I'll do it for Ash and for all the other club members! _

She just wasn't sure _how_ she was going to do it.


	5. Supplementary Lessons

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Hello everyone, I just want to offer up a fair warning: now that college is starting my updates will come a bit slower than usual. I will do my best to get them up when I can, though. (: This is probably my favorite chapter so far, so here's hoping you guys feel the same. :P Thanks for everything!  
_

* * *

Mikhail and Lillian leaned around the hallway corner, glancing nervously at each student laughing and chatting with friends. "I don't see any of them," Lillian murmured, shaking the nearly empty can in her hand. "I think they're still outside."

The boy beside her smiled, lifting his completely empty can. "Then we should take advantage of this chance. Is anyone here willing to make a donation? Anybody? For a fair?"

They walked down the hall, shaking their cans with the widest smiles they could manage and asking anybody who passed by for even their spare change if they could. "The fair will be a lot of fun!" Lillian announced proudly. "All we need is some money to get it started off! There will be lots of games and food and…and…fun!"

When they completed their round in that hallway they moved onto the next, staring at cans that had gleamed only a few more coins from the pockets of annoyed seniors who chucked their change at them, snapping, "Just stop shaking those stupid things, alright?!" Lillian had had a hard enough time convincing Laney that she needed to run an errand during break, and finding Mikhail in the sea of students had been a chore of its own. Now that even the collecting was garnering poor results and angering her peers, Lillian was prepared to throw in the towel and admit that there was no plan – only a lot of naïve hope that somehow things would work out.

They leaned against the wall together, each heaving a miserable sigh. Even Mikhail, who had been undauntingly optimistic when interrogated about any possible plans, was now slumping his shoulders and dragging his violin case down the hallway. "It's rather difficult for the two of us to be collecting money," he admitted. "You're so new to this school and I have never been as popular as someone such as Ash or Georgia. The music of the cans is not as soothing as I had hoped it would be. Perhaps we should rearrange our plans."

"No!" Lillian declared, stomping her foot and placing her free hand on her hip. "I _have _to do this! All the club officers and all the club members are already tired of being part of Bluebell. We have to think of something to make sure we fix that! Or else Ash will…well, he won't enjoy his position as president at all."

Mikhail raised a curious eyebrow, tilting his head to the side. "Is all of this supposed to be for Ash?"

Lillian felt her cheeks color, shaking her head furiously. "No, it's not like that! I just feel terrible because I'm the one who convinced him to be president even when he told me he didn't want to. Plus…well, I asked Principal Rutger yesterday if he could delay the meeting we were supposed to have with Konohana's club officers. I know who the president is, and it will be hard for Ash to face him. I want to make sure we have the plans set in motion for a fair so we can completely surprise Konohana and Ash can feel better about all this!"

The violinist did not look completely convinced, but he smiled nonetheless. "The melody of friendship is a nice one, isn't it?" he asked, heaving his violin up onto his shoulder. "I have some savings I can donate. 5000 G, in fact. I think it will make some headway into this situation."

"Really?" Lillian gaped, hastening after him as he started walking back the way they came. He dumped the contents on his can into hers, stacking them together and chuckling at her excitement. "That's amazing! I have 2600 G; I can totally use that too! And Cam told me that the principal gave each club 3000 G to start off with…so we already have 9600 G! That's a big start! How much do you think we would need, Mikhail?"

He hesitated in the middle of the hallway, Lillian nearly bumping into him due to the abrupt halt. "Well…for all of the entertainment we've been promising…and we definitely need to have a lot of booths for games and food if we want to make a real profit from this fair…I would say 30,000 G. We can put our talents together for entertainment, the games shouldn't be too difficult to assemble, and I'm sure we can find some club members who are good chefs. So, we need 20,400 G."

Lillian sighed, slumping forward again. "I have to make sure we're in a position to earn that money as soon as possible so I can show it to Dirk and the other Konohana officers."

"Hmm? _Dirk_ is the president of Konohana?" Mikhail asked, turning to her with raised eyebrows. "I see…so that's why this is so important to you. You want to ensure that Ash doesn't lose face before his old friend…well, then, I'm sure we'll find a way. Try to ask in your classes when the others aren't looking, and hopefully plenty of members donate today when we start outlining the different booths we'll have. Let's do our best, Lillian."

He set his violin carefully on the floor, extending his hand towards the brunette with a grin. Lillian's eyes widened, but she excitedly took his hand, squeezing it tight as they shook. With all the doubt placed in her from her other friends, finding someone willing to cheer her on and stand by her side through the admittedly rather foolish situation was a welcome prospect. "Yeah! All we can do is our best. You try to collect donations too!"

They agreed to ask anyone they could and try again at lunch when the rest of the group was eating, and Mikhail walked her to her class at the end of the break period, passing her over to a confused Cam. "Laney told me that you had to go run some errand in the office?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "And Ash told me that you went to the principal and begged him to reschedule the meeting with Konohana. Is everything okay?"

Lillian didn't want to lie to Cam – especially considering Laney had been completely right in regards to him being totally dependable. Still, it was something she couldn't avoid. Telling Cam that she really wasn't as sure of the festival as she would like to be would give far too much away. "Yep!" she told him cheerily. "Everything is fine. I just don't want to meet up with Konohana until we have more concrete plans to share. As for the office errand, I just needed to turn in some paperwork and then I ran into Mikhail! Let's get to class."

She pranced into the room with her best attempt at easiness, and Cam smiled after her, shaking his head. "Ash already told me there's something bothering you," he murmured, watching her take her seat in the back of the classroom. "But if you won't tell _him_, there's no way you'll tell me."

* * *

"So I heard something _very _interesting about you," the Oracle noted, giggling as she leaned towards Lillian's desk, holding herself up using Dirk and Kana's diagonal seats. Both boys turned reluctantly towards the wide-eyed brunette. "I can help you out, too…if you'll let me."

"How…how much do you know?" Lillian asked, covering her face in embarrassment. Kana and Dirk both gaped in surprise at how spot on the Oracle had been. They leaned in close as well, making Mr. Hamilton roll his eyes and laugh at his over-curious students.

The Oracle grinned, leaning back and pulling a small fuchsia pouch from her bag. The three classmates watched in frustration as she slowly pinned her bangs back from her face using aqua blue bobby pins she had rummaged around in her bag for. The wait allowed Lillian's anxiety to spread, and she found Dirk and Kana's frequent glances at her more than a little unnerving. Finally the Oracle spun around, poking Lillian's nose with her index finger. "I know that you bit off way more than you can chew and you're not even trusting your boyfriend to help you get out of the mess!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Lillian exclaimed, clapping her hands over her mouth at the realization of the loudness of the words. "And it's not that I don't _trust _him…it's just that…I don't want…to worry him more than he already is…" she hunched forward until her head rested on the desk, gazing miserably up at the Oracle. "How do you know all this?"

"I have my ways," she twittered.

Even the Oracle was staggered by the next event, however. Dirk spun in his chair and faced Lillian head-on for the first time since school began, raising an eyebrow. "What, you can't even tell Ash about what's bothering you? What kind of trouble did you get into?"

Kana flipped her hair until it flung forward, covering her eyes. "It's only your second week of school! I don't know how you do this."

Lillian groaned miserably in response, and the Oracle laughed once more and stood next to her, tidying up her hair for her. "Now, now, boys. All is not lost. Lillian dear's problem is club-related. Her boyfriend – right, right, I know, 'he's not my boyfriend!' – is being kept in the dark because she loves him – I know, I know, you don't love him – and doesn't want him to know that she's making a mess of their club already."

"Am not!" Lillian protested, slamming her fists onto the desk. "Why are you saying this stuff?"

"Because I wanted to rile you up," the Oracle smiled gently, smoothing her hair down one last time. "So you can see what other people would say. I think you still have a chance! I happen to know of a certain job opening in the school cafeteria. If you serve lunch to the students for two weeks, you'll make 20,000 G. That would help out considerably, wouldn't it?"

Lillian gazed up at the girl in amazement. How she had been so accurate in her information – even down to the amount Lillian needed! – she wasn't sure she would ever know. What did matter was that she was trying to help, and she had a valid point. If Lillian didn't search out and earn the money herself, people _would _say things such as 'she's ruining the club.' "I'll do it! Ah, but I can't do it! If Ash or Georgia or Cam or Laney see me working, they'll know instantly! They eat together in the cafeteria every day! Ah…hmm…I…could…wake up really early and make them lunch every day so we don't have to go! We only go in because Laney and Ash usually buy lunch. If I make them lunch-"

"That's going a bit far," the Oracle giggled. "But I can take care of it. Leave it to me!"

Dirk smirked, shaking his head. "What are _you _going to do? Make lunch for them yourself? You may have a lot of information, but it's going to take more than that in this case."

"You're right. It's going to take a lot of luck and quick reflexes! Hiro works in the cafeteria too, doesn't he? If every time Ash and Laney approach the lunch counter Lillian ducks down and hides while he serves them, they won't know! I'll sit at the table they usually sit at, forcing them to move to the next available table – the one that has _every _seat facing the opposite direction! I happen to know that Mikhail is in on this mess, so he can try to make sure they don't fix their attention towards her. As long as Lillian keeps an eye on them at all times, she'll be able to duck out of the way whenever they look over!"

"That sounds like a lot of work," Kana noted, raising an eyebrow. "Why don't you just lie and say you need the money?"

"Her family is rich, Ash wouldn't believe her," Dirk answered casually, leaning back against the window. Kana and the Oracle turned to him, wearing respective expressions of confusion and amusement. His cheeks reddened and he looked instantly away, muttering, "It's just something I remembered, alright?"

Kana leaned away, exchanging a look with the Oracle. Lillian grinned at the smirk they shared, noting that Kana didn't look as uncomfortable around the Oracle as he used to. "That settles it then!" the pink-haired girl announced cheerily. "We'll just have to rope Hiro into working with us, but that's okay – I know _lots _about him that he doesn't want revealed. He'll definitely agree to help out."

"But…why are you doing all this?" Kana asked curiously, frowning for a moment. "It's a lot of effort to put forth for Bluebell, considering you're joining Konohana."

"What?" Lillian asked, lurching forward. "Did the principals make you pick a club?"

The Oracle sighed, shrugging her shoulders. It was the first time, Lillian realized with a jolt, that the girl hadn't looked particularly happy. "They didn't force me, but I decided to conform anyhow. I think the clubs are bad news, but I was getting too much negative attention from teachers for refusing. Plus, I have plenty of secrets too, just like the three of you! Maybe joining Konohana is part of those secrets, hmm? As for this project, I'm doing it because I like Lillian. Does there have to be another reason?"

Kana raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Lillian found a grin on her lips that she hadn't expected. The Oracle was certainly weird, and the way she found out things about people so easily was rather disturbing. Still, there was something about her Lillian was drawn too, and she had to admit that she enjoyed the crazy schemes and entertaining banter the unique girl brought to class. "Thank you!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I'm definitely going to do what you said and turn this whole thing around! I'll do it for A- never mind. Please don't look at me like that."

The Oracle and Kana exchanged another knowing grin and Lillian slammed her head onto the desk, groaning.

* * *

"This is wonderful!" Mikhail exclaimed, grinning down at her as they walked to the club together. He had waited outside the door for her, looking as diligent and chivalrous as ever. When she instantly launched into the plan the Oracle had offered up, he had grown increasingly optimistic. "I think this could really work out! I'll do my best to help you out. I even pulled together 200 G. Maybe we'll be able to go over the 30,000 G budget and prepare even more entertainment! Perhaps in your meeting with Konohana, however, you can leave that part out. That way Dirk won't be able to top us too easily."

Lillian hadn't even begun to think of that. Now Dirk, the _president _of Konohana, knew that she was having a major crisis in regards to the club and could easily share that information with the rest of his club and use it to ruin her. _I need to be more careful_, she groaned to herself, slapping a hand to her forehead. _He's not the boy I knew when I was a little kid anymore._

Georgia greeted them more solemnly than usual, gesturing towards the donation box. "We've only made 500 G so far. Are you sure you can guys can do this?"

"Of course we are," Mikhail answered for Lillian, patting her shoulder. "Go ahead and share the budget with Ash and Cam so they can start preparing matters."

Lillian inclined her head gratefully towards Mikhail before hurrying to the two boys, who looked at her with smiles. She had expected them to start doubting her as soon as they faced her, as Georgia had, but for some reason Cam seemed rather at ease. "How are things going now?" he asked curiously. "Everything still going okay?"

"Everything is going fine!" she announced cheerfully. "The money is coming along well. Mikhail and I will be able to give you at least 30,000 G – er, including the money Principal Rutger already gave us – in two weeks' time!"

Ash and Cam exchanged an impressed look, both grinning widely at this notion. "Well, that's fantastic!" Ash told her, winking. "Let's celebrate at lunch tomorrow. I'll buy you whatever you want."

Silence.

"Lil?"

"Ah…lunch…right…well…you…you _see_…ah…I…actually…"

"Lillian!" Georgia's voice pierced through the crowd, and Lillian spun to see the girl standing at the door, looking wary. "The president of the Konohana club is here…and he wants to speak to you."

Ash rose when she started to walk away, catching her hand. "The president of the Konohana club," he repeated. "Do you know who that is, Lillian? Is…is _he _really the president this year?"

"Maybe?" Lillian murmured, feeling her resolve fade away easily under Ash's narrowed eyes.

"And you knew that?"

"I…suspected?"

"You better hurry, he has a club meeting to start too," Cam intervened. He caught Ash by the back of his shirt and yanked him into his chair, shooting Lillian a pointed look. "We'll start rough drafting how much the different booths will cost. Don't take too long."

Lillian hurried gratefully away, brushing past Laney, Georgia, and Mikhail as she went. Ash turned to Cam, narrowing his eyes, clearly frustrated. "I can't believe she's going to talk to that guy. And why is he here? And why didn't she tell me he was president? I mean, I _thought _he'd be president but I also thought he wouldn't…I mean, I wasn't sure. Mikhail was in this club forever and he's not even an officer! So _him_ being in that club forever didn't necessarily mean he'd be president and…why would he want to talk to her and not to me?"

Cam grinned, shaking his head. "This isn't helping your case that you don't like her, Ash. Don't worry about it. Whatever reason she had for not telling you is probably because she didn't want to hurt you. I have a feeling Lillian is doing a lot to make sure she helps this club out."

"I know that," Ash mumbled, looking miserably towards the door she had exited. "I just wish that…I guess I just wish that she'd put a little faith in me and let me help out sometimes, too."

* * *

Lillian stood before Dirk, shifting her feet nervously. The seniors had long discarded their hallway voyages and she found herself alone, far from her club room, right in the middle of the entire school. She could hear the distant shouts of Konohana's club and wondered if Ash was attempting to lead Bluebell in some sort of discussion. She looked down at her shaking hands and saw that Dirk's were hanging casually in his maroon pockets. _He's always so calm_, she sighed to herself. _Why can't I be like him too? He made it clear that we're not friends anymore. Why can't I just treat him like any other casual stranger?_

"I'm supposed to talk to your president over you," Dirk told her, staring blankly down the hall, his green eyes dulled and distracted. "I decided to talk to you anyways, though."

"This is the first time you've chosen to talk directly to me," Lillian replied, her voice meek. Every other time she spoke to him he had been forced or pressured to by some sort of situation. Seeing him standing before her, having _chosen _to speak to her…she smiled despite the situation. She had hope that she could befriend Dirk again, but that hope was constantly dwindling before his vicious glare. Knowing that he had requested to talk to her – even if it was just because he didn't want to face Ash – meant more than she had expected.

He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, there's not usually a reason to talk to you."

"Ah."

"Don't look so depressed," he mumbled, rolling his eyes. "I don't mean it harshly. It's not like we're friends anymore, or anything like that. That's all. But now that we're opposing club officers, we have to talk."

"Ah."

He snapped his eyes onto her, green meeting purple. Lillian shirked from his gaze, grimacing apprehensively. In her memories of Dirk he was a kind, thoughtful, cheerful boy who was always laughing. The Dirk before her had changed considerably in the four years she spent in the city. Sometimes she thought that Ash, Cam, Laney and Georgia had changed, but when she was faced with _him_she couldn't help but admit they hadn't changed too much. They had merely grown up. Dirk had done both grow and change, and therefore was an enigma before her very eyes. "Look, I'm here because I have to tell you something the Oracle asked me to pass on and because I want to warn you about something."

"Hmm?" Lillian tilted her head to the side, stunned. "Even you do what the Oracle asks?"

"Even I have secrets I don't want everyone knowing," he answered with a simple shrug.

"I heard that you two are friends."

Dirk just laughed at that. "If that's what you want to call it."

Lillian felt her optimism and hope deflating little by little. _This is the first time we've gotten to talk and I'm ruining it_, she chastised herself. _Shouldn't I say something like, I missed you or I'm glad to see you again? Is it too late to say that kind of stuff? Would he just laugh at me? _Dirk interrupted her thoughts with another frustrated sigh. "She said she forgot one important part of your little plan to earn money. Your friends will want to eat lunch with you. To get around that, tell them you have to take supplementary lessons during the lunch break."

"Su…supplementary lessons?" Lillian felt that this was possibly the worst part of the Oracle's scheme. _They already know I'm behind in school, so they'll actually believe it, _she thought miserably to herself. Everyone had expected her city education to be superior, but it seemed her school had been far behind compared to her new high school. "Er…okay. Tell her I said thank you, please."

He smirked as though he could hear her thoughts. "Sure. I'll see you later."

"Wait!" the brunette exclaimed, catching her old friend's sleeve. "You said you had something else to tell me – something to warn me about."

"Eh, I changed my mind."

"Dirk!"

"Okay, okay," he sighed once more, turning back to face her. He didn't yank his sleeve free, but his repetitive sighs made it clear to Lillian that he didn't appreciate her company. She released her hold on him with a grimace, staring at her shoes. "I'm sure they've finally filled you in on the club things. But something you need to know is…this school will take things seriously. I can't control all of my members as much as you can't control yours. Every senior year starts with a little rivalry and ends with a feud. They do a lot of pranks. So be on the lookout. Especially with your new little plan set into motion, and your desperate need for money all of a sudden. So be careful."

He made a face as she stared at him, eyes shining. He started to tell her not to look so hopeful when she leaned forward, her face only inches from his. "Thank you!" she cried. "You don't actually hate me!"

Dirk shook his head and then lifted a hand to her face. She raised an eyebrow only to cry out in pain as he flicked her directly in the center of her forehead. He laughed as she clutched her face, glaring at him from between her fingers. "Don't get carried away. I'd just hate to see you lose the chance to impress your boyfriend after four years."

"He's-"

"Like I believe you," Dirk shrugged, turning around and heading towards his club room. "Don't tell him what I told you, he'd only think I was trying to freak you out."

Lillian uncovered her face, watching as Dirk rounded the corner. She knew that part of her should be angry at him for the way he jerked her emotions back and forth, but the girl couldn't help but smile. _Maybe_, she thought hopefully to herself, folding her arms across her chest and heading back towards her own club room. _Maybe all hope isn't lost._


	6. The Photograph

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**: This is my longest chapter yet! As for how many chapters there are going to be to this story, I can't say. The end is not close at all haha, I'm planning for this to probably be my longest story at this rate. My first classes of college start tomorrow (Thursday) but I have several chapters written up so I'll try to keep up my usual update every two days to keep things running smoothly. I really enjoy writing this story, it's lots of fun and there are so many characters to peer into and I've barely scraped the surface for all of them! I want you all to keep in mind from here on out that I have prepared a lot of details for each character and they won't all be revealed for sometime, so you can look forward to learning lots about every character - including the Konohana bunch that's been a little overshadowed due to Lillian's choice. (: Thank you all for reading and reviewing, it's very sweet. As always, if you have any questions or comments feel free to message them to me and I will write back asap. Thanks!_

* * *

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

Laney glanced at Lillian and then sighed, opening a plastic bag of cherries and setting them between them. The brunette smiled gratefully, tearing the stem off and popping one into her mouth. She seemed completely oblivious to what was going on around her – she had been marching in a haze all morning, unaware of Laney's feelings or Cam's or Georgia's and especially not of Ash's. Laney took her own cherry, spinning it between her fingers. Who was she to tear down Lillian's blissful ignorance? It seemed cruel, considering the girl had been marching around full of misery and confusion for so long. Still…it had to be done.

"He's jealous, you know. Ash, of Dirk. When you came back from talking to him yesterday and just said that he wanted to pass on what the Oracle said to you, I'm not sure he believed you. And you've looked so happy since…it kind of makes it seem like you have a thing for the pres. Er, the Konohana pres. Is…that true?"

Lillian raised her eyebrows, clearly shocked by the idea. Laney had expected her to be, and split her cherry in half, staring blankly at the pit. She wasn't in the mood to eat, but now that Lillian had thrown into the conversation that she also wasn't going to be at lunch, she felt obligated to extend her usual classroom snack to the girl. "I don't like Dirk that way. He and I don't even speak, really. He usually just pretends I don't exist," Lillian admitted, shrugging her shoulders and sighing to herself. "I was glad that he talked to me, though. He was my best friend, along with Ash. Did Ash ever tell you about all the times we hung out?"

"Not much," Laney shrugged. "We saw the three of you in seventh grade, of course, but we didn't hang out a lot back then, and after you moved Ash didn't want to speak about him at all."

"We were inseparable," Lillian murmured, smiling to herself. "We spent all of our time together. Dirk, Ash and I…we were really good friends. I didn't think that would ever change. We trusted each other with everything. We always had such a good time when we were together. I thought that when I moved, those two would be closer than ever and I'd come back and be totally out of the loop. Ash wouldn't talk about him after I moved no matter how much I asked, and Dirk wouldn't answer my calls or letters. I guess I knew something was up. I wondered why Ash wouldn't tell me, and I eventually gave up on trying to contact Dirk. But…I still hoped, I guess, that they would be friends and they were just too busy to talk to me about each other – or in Dirk's case, at all. When I moved back and found out they hated each other…Ash told me that they fought, but I don't know much about it. I don't want to ask. Ash seems so upset when he talks about it, and Dirk is so cold to me that I think asking him would make him ignore me forever. So…I was happy when Dirk talked to me. I want the three of us to be friends again someday. Like we were back in the seventh grade."

Laney watched Lillian, sympathy thick in her stomach. She pushed the two halves of the cherry into her mouth, tossing the pit back into the bag. "I think I understand what you're saying. But I don't think it'll happen, Lillian. I'd love to say that I'm sure those two can still patch up their friendship…but I don't think there's a way. I don't know what happened with them either, really, but I know they hate each other. Ash is happy with Cam now, and Dirk has his Konohana friends. I think they've both moved on to new best friends."

"Well, I haven't," Lillian announced, rising to her feet and dusting herself off. "I know that they've moved on, but I feel like…I need to bring them back. I don't mean to make Ash upset. I would be jealous too, if he started spending time with someone I didn't like. But…I can't help it. I want to hear both of their stories. I want to know what happened when I left. But now…now isn't really the time for that, is it?"

The blonde stared up at her friend, amazed. Lillian was clever in her own way, but could be terribly ditzy at times. To see her speak so seriously was something Laney had never expected to witness. She smiled up at her, taking another cherry from the bag and popping it into her mouth. "Then good luck. Nobody knows those two more than you, I think. So if you're saying their friendship can still be patched up…then I'll help out if you ever need it."

Lillian extended her hand to her friend, who took it and allowed herself to be heaved up. Lillian squeezed Laney's hand, grinning at her.

"Thanks, Laney."

"Just get to class, Miss. Supplementary."

"Ha..." the brunette chuckled half-heartedly, wincing. "Yeah."

* * *

Lillian sprinted down the halls as soon as class ended, darting for the lunchroom. She knew her friends typically met at her classroom before moving on together, and held her breath in hopes they wouldn't see her escape. Luckily Mikhail was in her class to distract Cam until she was a safe distance away. She crossed her fingers as she went, nervous thoughts running through what her friends would say if they found her out. They'd point out how spot on their doubts had been, they'd tell her what a terrible vice president she was, and they'd roll their eyes at her stupidity. Then they'd be forced to tell the club that the fair was canceled, and everyone would look to Ash and complain. She crossed her fingers even tighter, sliding into the lunch room and sturdying herself on one of the tables. _I just can't let that happen._

She hastened into the kitchen, where Hiro met her. She prepared to introduce herself only for him to laugh and say, "We've met before, Lillian. Back when we were children. We were never particularly close, but we were in the same class for many years."

Lillian focused on the petite boy, struggling to remember. Finally she clapped her hands together, nodding excitedly. "I remember! You hung out with Reina a lot when you were kids, didn't you?"

"Ha…if you could call me tagging along with her hanging out," Hiro murmured embarrassedly, ruffling his own hair. "But yes, she is my dearest friend. Er, it's good to see you again, Lillian. Here's your apron and here's a hairnet…Lillian?"

She was staring blankly at the articles he handed to her with a grimace. Not only would she be humiliated for her stupidity and naivety if she was caught by her friends, they'd be sure to laugh at her as well. _It doesn't matter_, she told herself, wrapping her hair into a bun. _I have to do whatever it takes_. Hiro raised an eyebrow at her as she swept her hairnet from his hand, snapping it securely on. The apron, however, she fumbled with for several moments before he laughed and tied it for her. His nimble fingers made quick work of the task she had found quite daunting, and she turned a grateful and mildly impressed smile towards him. "How long have you been working here, Hiro?"

"I've worked here every year since I started high school. I worked in the cafeteria in middle school, too," Hiro told her with a smile, tying his own apron strings even faster than he had tied hers. "I like it. I don't necessarily need the money, but I use it to pay Dr. Ayame – the nurse here – to teach me important things about being a doctor too."

Lillian grinned back at him, intrigued by this knowledge. "So you're going to be a doctor? That's great!"

"Hopefully," he murmured bashfully, fussing once more with his hair. Lillian smiled, amused by his nervousness. "What about you?"

She turned away, staring out towards the cafeteria. She didn't see any of her friends yet. Part of her wished someone would come up at that moment and wrench her from the conversation. Dreams were an impressive thing to have, but she found she didn't have any. She had plenty of goals: raise the money for the fair, run a successful fundraiser, be a good vice president, reunite Dirk and Ash. But as for when she graduated from high school and was forced to face the world alone? "I don't know," she admitted, straightening her apron. "I still have to find out."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time for that," he told her, wearing an apologetic smile. "So, Dirk told me that I need to help make sure your friends don't see you doing this, right?"

"Huh?" Lillian turned to him, her eyes wide. "Dirk told you?"

"Ah, yes. He asked for a favor and told me to make sure Ash, Cam, Laney, and Georgia didn't see you. Plus, the Oracle was with him and she scares me."

Lillian laughed, nodding. "I see," she murmured, struggling to contain her happiness. She bounced over to the front counter and beamed at the first person in line. The boy stared back at her blankly as she served his mashed potatoes with a frivolous flick of the wrist. "Thank you for coming!" she told him cheerfully.

"Right."

"Your friends!" Hiro warned.

Lillian dropped to her knees, wriggling into the space underneath the counter. Her eyes widened as she looked down and saw Ash's shoes. _Please don't see me, _she begged. _Please say you didn't see me_. "Hey, Hiro," she heard him call out cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Same as always," Hiro replied pleasantly, chuckling. "How's your day going?"

"It's been better," Ash answered. Lillian frowned, sympathetically patting the front top of his shoe when it slipped into the crack between the counter and the floor.

"Well, I hope the rest of your day goes well. I'll see you in the club meeting next week – you're president of Bluebell, right? Congratulations!"

Lillian gaped at Hiro's legs. _I didn't know he was one of the club officers! _After dwelling on that for a second, however, she realized she had no clue who any of the club officers were from Konohana besides Dirk. "Oh, yeah, you're vice president, right?" Ash countered. "Congrats to you too. I'll see you then."

A moment later Hiro ducked down below the counter, grinning at her. "You're clear. I'll let you know if another one of them comes up."

The lunch hour continued with constant crouching and hiding, and a rather entertaining view of the Oracle and Mikhail's attempts to hold the group's attention. At one point the Oracle literally started dancing across the room when Georgia convinced Laney that they weren't supposed to look over their shoulder and it turned into a game. When lunch was about to end the Oracle gave the official sign and Hiro helped Lillian tear her apron off as she rushed through the halls, grinning at her good luck.

_We might be able to pull this off yet._

* * *

"Lunch was exhausting," the Oracle sighed, slumping over her desk. "You're not very good at hiding. And you certainly blushed a lot. Are you shy around boys, Lillian?"

"No, I was just embarrassed," Lillian mumbled, her head drooping onto the desktop as well. Ducking and consequently jumping to her feet moments later hadn't done much for her image in the eyes of classmates who already considered her strange. "Now I have to make sure nobody brings up seeing me working there to Ash or them."

The Oracle sighed again, shaking her head. "There were a lot of things I didn't think through about this plan. Oh well! Without a risk there isn't a profit. Go team go!"

Dirk rolled his eyes, flipping through his textbook as he eavesdropped. "You were almost caught a lot," he muttered, shrugging nonchalantly. "You're lucky Mikhail is working with you. You don't have very quick reflexes. And haven't you heard that people can feel others looking at them? It's incredible Ash was too dense to feel you staring at him the entire time."

"I was not!" Lillian protested, forcing herself upright. "You two always tease me about him, but it's not like that-"

"How is it then?" the Oracle asked. Her voice was sincerely curious; not even the slightest hint of mocking lingered in it. Still, Lillian felt humiliated. She blushed, gazing at her desk as though it was highly intriguing, and wondered how to describe it. _I was thinking about this the other day, too,_ she realized. _What kind of relationship _do_ Ash and I have? Would I just say we're best friends? It seems like I should describe it as more than that. Not quite brother and sister, but closer than most best friends. We're completely in sync with each other and we always know what the other is feeling…_

"Too long," Dirk noted. "We're going with you having a thing for him."

"Do you have to give me such a hard time?" Lillian protested. She thumped her hands against the desk again, but Dirk merely smirked at her. He looked prepared to reply when he snapped his mouth shut, looking up and to his left.

Ash stood before them, arms folded. The Oracle and Kana exchanged a look and then leaned away from the menacing boy, glancing nervously at Lillian. She felt as though she had been caught, but wasn't sure _what _he caught her doing. "Club officers are supposed to leave early. Let's go," he told her, gesturing towards the door. She rose hastily to her feet, yanking her possessions up, but was stunned to find that Dirk had risen to stand in her path.

"Guess I better get going too then," the boy retorted. Lillian gaped at them, surprised to see that Dirk was now tall enough to glare directly into Ash's eyes. They looked terrifying the way they faced each other, both of their expressions turning dark and ominous. "Thanks for reminding me. I'll make sure I tell her next time."

Lillian pushed past Dirk and covered Ash's mouth before he could reply. _And I used to call this boy calm_, she noted, shaking her head as she pushed him towards the door. "Let's go," she murmured, turning to wave at the Oracle and Kana before she left. Her eyes met Dirk's for a second, noting that he was still smirking after her.

Ash was silent when they exited the classroom, still considerate enough to take her textbooks for her as he avoided meeting her eyes. Lillian leaned forward, attempting to force him to look at her, but he continued to stare at the ground instead. She ducked in front of him, contorting her body until she was in a position to hold his gaze. He reluctantly smiled at her, shaking his head. "What is it?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"Of course not," he replied, sighing and gesturing for her to stand normally by his side. "It's just…frustrating to see you getting along so well with Dirk. Last I heard from you he was making you feel awful and now he's pulling you out of meetings for private conversations. It's…weird, I guess."

Lillian thought of Laney's earlier words and looked away, guilt piercing her. "It's not like we're close friends, or anything like that," she murmured, shifting her backpack straps. "He teases me a lot, but he's forced into conversations with me because the Oracle talks to me a lot and they're…friends? Or something. It's nothing to worry about."

"I believe you," he grinned, setting his hand on her head and ruffling her hair until she shrunk away, glowering at him as she smoothed it back into place. When she turned away to fumble in her bag for a mirror he sighed, shaking his head. "If only you'd believe in me, too," he mumbled.

* * *

After a week of working with Hiro in the cafeteria, Lillian was beginning to feel like she truly had the hang of it. Their Friday was working along on a good note, and she had already worked enough to earn 10,000 G. She had learned that working in the cafeteria meant enduring a great deal of teasing from immature classmates, but Hiro was good with empathizing in those regards and often told her stories about his best friends, Dirk and Reina.

"You can get up now, he just had to pick up some ketchup," Hiro told her, gently nudging her foot with his shoe.

Lillian watched Ash take his seat, her eyes locking with Mikhail's for a moment as he glanced over his shoulder and then hurriedly looked back towards his friends to ensure they didn't do the same. "Well, go on and tell me more about what you were saying. I think they're done for now."

Hiro smiled, leaning against the counter. "People usually aren't so curious about my stories. It's very kind of you to act so, but if you're feeling bored-"

"I'm not," she interrupted with a grin. "You know a lot about Dirk and Reina, and you've had a lot of nice times with them. It's good to hear you describe them all."

He looked surprised by this, but his eyes moved past Lillian and to Reina's still form beyond her and he grinned. "Well, one time Reina and Cam were talking – they used to be very close, you know – and she said-"

"What?" Lillian burst out, wincing when she realized she'd ended his sentence. "Sorry, sorry about interrupting again. But I _never _seen Cam with anyone but…well, Laney or Ash. And from what I remember of Reina, she was so private…it's hard to imagine those two being really close."

"She is a very solitary person, but she and Cam _do _share a lot of interests and hobbies. She's fascinated by plants and Cam is an avid gardener himself. Nobody knows more about flora than those too. So I walked up and joined them one day and…"

Lillian listened to the rest of Hiro's story, laughing at the amusing conclusion, but found her mind wondering all throughout it. _He's right_, she noted. _Cam _is _really into plants. But if he's so into gardening…why did he join a club about animals when he could have joined a club about plants? _He _did _mention to her, she remembered, that everyone had their own personal reasons for wanting their club to win over the other, but those motives were for the end prize – if the prize was the same for either club, why didn't Cam choose a club he'd enjoy working for and push _it _towards winning? She turned curiously towards her fellow employee and asked, "Why did you join Konohana over Bluebell, Hiro?"

"Ah…that's a very good question. Everyone does have their reason," Hiro murmured, tapping his fingers against the counter. "My reason, in comparison to others, is nowhere near as intriguing. I simply wanted to be with the ones I care about – I'm the same as you."

"And we're both vice presidents, too," Lillian smiled, glad she hadn't offended him by questioning his reasons, as Cam had warned.

"That may cause problems later on. We'll be forced to compete. But…no hard feelings, no matter the outcome. Alright?" he held his hand out towards her, wearing a bright smile. Lillian took it and shook, feeling relief flood through her. When the grace period for clubs to pull themselves together was over, competitions would come every week. Everyone in Bluebell was dreading their approach, made miserable at the thought that soon the rivalry would come in full force. Knowing that at least it wouldn't change things between her and a friend gave Lillian optimism for the rest of the school year.

_If I can get everyone to act like this, it'd be nice_, she thought to herself, sharing a laugh with Hiro when she was forced to duck from Georgia's wondering eye. _But how much would that take?_

* * *

Much to Lillian's shock, when it came time for her and Dirk to leave class, Laney hurried to her desk. Lillian smiled at her, but the blonde didn't look pleased as she dropped a picture onto her desk.

"What's…_oh_."

Lillian stared blankly at the photograph of her standing behind the lunchroom counter, laughing with Hiro, wearing her hairnet and apron. It had been taken from across the cafeteria, but it was clear as day – whoever had snapped the picture had garnered a perfect shot of her. The Oracle leaned over and snatched it up, looking stunned.

"It was stuffed into Ash's locker, but Cam found it and hid it from him. What is this, Lillian? Why did you lie to us about having supplementary lessons? Did you really make all those plans for our club without any backing at all?"

"No," the Oracle answered firmly. Laney turned to her with surprise, and Lillian saw a furious gleam in the girl's eyes. "She started working because I told her too, and she told you all it was supplementary lessons because I told her too."

"That doesn't mean she has to listen," Laney protested. Lillian was mildly impressed with the firm stance her friend was taking against the Oracle, considering most people seemed terrified of her. "What reason could there be that she would start working besides for the club? Her family has enough money to pay for anything she needs, so the only thing outside of that spectrum is club business. You told us you would have 30,000 G…is this how you're making it?"

Kana and Dirk exchanged a look, and the Oracle glanced at the picture once more, crumpling it up in her fists. "Don't say anything, Lillian! Let me talk to your friend for a moment." She shoved herself to her feet, glaring towards Dirk. "I'll be there in time for the club meeting. _You_ had better figure out who did this. Can I talk to you, Laney?"

The blonde reluctantly followed the Oracle out of the room, leaving a bewildered brunette behind. Lillian stared at her desk, feeling her hands shake. Who would do something like that? Who would take a picture of her working and put it into _Ash's _locker, of all her friends? Obviously he would be the most upset that he was lied to. Was it someone who was already informed in regards to her club crisis, or just someone looking to cause trouble between two friends? _No,_ she told herself, glancing from Dirk to Kana. _It has to be someone who knows the background of it, or they wouldn't know Ash didn't know. It could be one of these two, or the Oracle herself. The only other person who knows is Hiro, but he's _in _the picture._

"Why did she tell you to take care of this?" Kana asked Dirk, raising an eyebrow.

"Because it was one of my club members," Dirk mumbled, glaring at the floor as he leaned forward, resting his head on his fist. "These kinds of pranks always happen with club members – especially the officers. But it's so soon in the year…I don't see who would go after her already…I don't see what reason they _would_. There's the possibility that someone with a crush on her was looking to cause a rift between her and Ash. There's the possibility they wanted her...ah, fair, I believe the Oracle said, to be called off and hoped this would cause a fight. But only a few people know…did you say anything to anyone?"

"I didn't tell anyone!" Kana exclaimed, holding his hands up defensively. "I'm not as smart as you guys, man. I don't have the Oracle's information, I've just got your vague conversations to go off of."

Dirk was silent for a moment and then rose to his feet, glancing at Lillian. "Don't worry about it. I'll find out who did it."

"Why?" Lillian mumbled miserably. "Laney is probably going to make me admit to everyone that I proposed an idea I wasn't ready for and then we'll have to call it off and our members will hate us and Konohana will win the next competition…you're in good standing here."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't talk like you've given up. If you don't want to lose and you don't want issues between your friends, just keep doing what you've been doing and I'll work things out. After talking to the Oracle, your friend isn't going to tell anyone."

And with that he stalked off, his arms folded tightly across his chest. Kana glanced at Lillian, his eyebrows lifted slightly. "Well. I didn't expect those two to go through so much to stick up for you."

"Neither did I," she admitted, leaning out of her desk to see out the door. "What did he mean…Laney won't tell anyone?"

"After talking to the Oracle?" Kana asked, snorting. "She knows everyone's secrets and uses them as blackmail. Now that she's decided you two are friends, she's definitely going to use everything she knows to keep you out of trouble."

"What secret would Laney have?" Lillian murmured doubtfully, frowning to herself. The entire situation was confounding, and trying to figure out what open and sweet Laney would have hidden inside her was especially puzzling.

Kana smiled at her, and she noted that it wasn't a very pleased one. More a grimace of admittance. He stared at his desks, folding his arms. "Everyone has secrets they don't want other people to know. Even your friends have things they'd rather you didn't know, just like you have things you'd rather they didn't know. It's just how life works."

Lillian rose to her feet, slipping her backpack on. Kana was right, but that didn't mean she wanted Laney's secrets used against her. She hurried from the room, past Mr. Hamilton, who merely rolled his eyes. He had told them time and time again that he truly couldn't care less what they did, so long as it was only in the last ten minutes of class. She burst from the door and found Laney, who was wearing a hard frown as she stared at the Oracle.

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands before her and staring at her friend. "I'm sorry I lied to you all. I didn't want to, but I wanted to make sure everything went smoothly and perfectly. I couldn't stand the thought of disappointing everyone. Please…don't tell anyone. Let me finish this next coming week."

Laney stared at her for a moment and then reluctantly smiled, sighing. "Of course I forgive you. I know you were put into a tough place. Cam told me not to be too hard on you for it, anyways. I'm not going to tell anyone…but if you do something like this again, I'm going to have to tell Ash. Especially when _Dirk _knows. I told you before that he was jealous, and he'll be even more jealous if he finds out you're not the one he's confiding in." When Lillian went to explain herself the blonde shook her head, holding her hand up. "Forget about it. Let's just pretend this didn't happen. But Ash is my friend, and if you do something like this to him again…I'm not going to forgive you that time."

She held her eyes for a moment, looking slightly guilty, and then hurried off towards the club. Lillian watched her go, feeling a stab of frustration and sadness. "_I'm _her friend too. It's not like I was trying to hurt Ash," she whispered to the Oracle, sniffing. "I didn't…lie to them to hurt them. I just didn't want them too know that I had put them all into such a tough spot."

"She knows that," the Oracle replied softly, looking equally guilty. She tucked the picture into Lillian's backpack, offering up a sympathetic smile. "She's just starting to befriend you again, so she doesn't know who you _really _are. She's not sure if this is some sort of facet of your personality or one mistake. As for Ash, she knows who he is right now, and she knows how he feels. It's easier to focus on that. But I don't think she thinks poorly of you."

Lillian didn't reply for a long time. She leaned against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. _That makes sense, _she admitted to herself with frustration. _Of course she's going to doubt me when she's only gotten to know who am I after four years for two weeks. But still…_

She closed her eyes and sighed. At least she wasn't going to tell Ash, who would be extremely hurt if he found out both that Lillian had lied to him and had told _Dirk _the truth. Cam had given her the benefit of the doubt too, and protected his friend's feelings. She had to simply learn from her initial mistake of, as the Oracle had said, "biting off more than she could chew" and move on.

But first, she had to ask something. "What did you know about Laney, that you were going to use as blackmail against her?"

The Oracle smiled and pretended to zip her mouth shut. "It's confidential. But…she's your friend. Really. I think you'll find out sooner or later."

"It seems like she likes Ash more than me," Lillian muttered. "I can't blame her since they've hung out for much longer, but still…I've really been trying..."

"Just like you're still learning to get to know your friends all over again, they're learning to get to know you all over again. Four years allows for a lot of changes, even if you haven't noticed them – especially when those four years took place during a time where people change those most. Give it time. Anyways, I need to go find Dirk. Good luck at your club thing, alright?"

Lillian murmured a thanks and goodbye, but didn't leave right away. She stood in the empty hallway, leaning against the wall and staring blankly ahead of her at the rows of silver lockers. _All these years I dreamed of what it would be like when I saw my friends again, _she thought to herself with a heavy heart. _Dirk is completely different; I still have a lot to learn about Ash; and Laney, Cam and Georgia have a lot of secrets I don't know a thing about._

It seemed like going to this new school really was a fresh start. She adjusted the straps of her backpack and pressed on, taking several deep breaths. Lingering on her gloom wouldn't benefit anyone. _Dirk is going to find out who set this all up…I just have to trust that he and Kana weren't involved and move forward._

So move forward she did.


	7. Potential Suspect

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: This chapter isn't as eventful as the last, but I like it a lot for whatever reason hahaha. I hope you guys do too. :P I have so much fun with this story, it's so great to write, and seeing all the nice reviews and seeing it be favorited and followed is sweet. Thanks everyone!_

* * *

Sunday was drawing to an end, with the sun lowering itself beneath the horizon for another night. No matter how many moments continued to trickle by, and no matter how dark the sky grew, Ash found he was rooted to Lillian's side. She had been silent for an hour as they watched the sunset in her front yard, the boy afraid to break the silence and question why she was wearing such a solemn expression.

Lillian had been acting strange throughout the weekend's duration. On Saturday when the club officers met at Laney's to discuss what booths to have, she sat beside Mikhail and, after whispering to him for several moments, shared mournful sighs with him for the rest of the day. When Ash had showed up with flowers to cheer her up in the early hours of the last day of their weekend, she had smiled and been happy for several hours until he mentioned the club, and then he watched her move about in silent thought, constantly shaking her head and frowning.

Now she was staring blankly ahead, clearly thinking very hard about something. The haphazardly thrown together bouquet – for Ash definitely did not possess Cam's skill – was still sitting beside her. Ash pulled one of the flowers out, tugging at the petals. _I'll talk to her, I won't talk to her. I'll talk to her, I won't talk to her_. Finally he tossed the remains of the flower into her grass and asked, "What's bothering you?"

She answered readily, mumbling, "I'm not a good vice president." Ash had expected her to at least deliberate on her response for several moments, and was therefore to taken aback by her response to reply right away. She drove on, telling him, "I'm going to make a mess out of club activities. I got into this fair thing without thinking. I'm doing my best for the club, but…maybe I'm just not working out. Though I technically _am_ working…"

Ash stared at her for a moment longer and then sighed, shaking his head. "Lil…if there is anyone here not suited for being a club officer, it's me. I have no interest in being president of Bluebell and it definitely shows. You're doing your best not for yourself, but for me. You had to take charge of everything because I was doing a terrible job at it. So, if you want to point fingers, I'm your guy."

"You didn't-"

"Relax," he laughed, putting a finger to her lips. "I'm not backing out anytime soon. As long as you stick to being my vice president, I'll do my best as president from now on so you don't have to pick up my slack. I'll start with collecting further donations. I should have been helping out with that to begin with. So…don't worry, alright? You can always tell me about what's going on, and I'll always help."

Lillian did not tell him the rest of her troubles, but found the smile on her face would not disappear as night washed over the sky. _This _problem would be kept a secret from Ash, but future problems…they would definitely involve more help than Dirk and the Oracle.

* * *

When third block came, Lillian found herself sitting next to Cam in utter silence, unsure what to say. Had Laney passed on the information? Was he having doubts about not telling Ash? She looked warily to the side, noting that he was doodling flowers once again. That pulled her back to Friday's lunch period, and she asked before she could stop herself, "Why did you join Bluebell over Konohana?"

"Because I wanted to be with Ash and Laney," he answered instantly.

"That's it?"

"Mostly," Cam shrugged, leaning back in his chair and smiling over at her. "You know, they say there are two kinds of people in this world. The people who make their own dreams, and the people who follow other people's dreams. If you want to know why I didn't join Konohana, even though I like flowers and plants so much, it's because I'm of the second type. I joined Bluebell to help make other people's dreams come true. Even if I hate the club situations…to some people, the city is a big deal. Just like I told you."

"I know," she murmured, feeling like she was being scolded. Whose dream had become so dear to Cam, she wondered? Was it Laney's? Was it Ash's? She wasn't aware of either of them having a particular reason to join the club. In fact, both of them seemed uncomfortable in general with the club situation, though they were warming up to it.

Cam leaned across his desk, smiling gently at her. "Don't think too much into it. Everyone has their reasons. They'll tell you when the time is right. Anyways…how are you feeling?"

"Awful," she admitted softly. "Laney told me this would really hurt Ash, but…I didn't…"

"Laney doesn't know Ash as much as I do," Cam interrupted, offering up a gentler expression. "Laney thinks that Ash would be hurt if you lied to him, but I think Ash wouldn't see it as you lying. I think he'd see it as you working hard to back up this crazy scheme you put together to save him when he wasn't doing his best at being president. It wouldn't hurt Ash. It would make him think he hurt you. And don't be worried about her, either. She won't be angry at you, or anything like that. She just doesn't want Ash to feel like he's been left behind by you. To her, that's the worst feeling possible."

Lillian turned to him, prepared to ask another question, but decided against it. _My friends will tell me more about themselves when the time is right, _she told herself. "You really do know a lot about Laney and Ash," she told him instead.

Cam shrugged, but looked pleased. "Well, Ash and I have been best friends for a while now. He's the greatest guy I know. As for Laney…I…I care about her a lot." He looked away, his cheeks slightly red, and Lillian's eyes widened. Laney had shot down any suggestion that they were in a relationship, but that didn't mean they didn't like each other, right? She readied herself to propose this thought, but once again decided to hold it in. For now, with the fundraiser causing enough problems, she didn't need to be starting up more situations. But when it was over…she had a lot of questions for her friends.

* * *

The Oracle and Dirk were deep in discussion when Lillian returned from another shift in the cafeteria – one much more exhausting than usual. Laney's frequent looks over her shoulder tipped off the rest of the group, and the look in her eyes was impossible to sort out. Lillian couldn't tell if she was angry with her or pitied her. She ducked around the pair who sat before her and went behind Kana's seat to slide into her own. He leaned across the gap between their desks instantly, twiddling his thumbs together nervously.

"What is it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He looked over at the Oracle one more time to ensure she wasn't paying attention and then murmured, "How is Georgia doing?"

"Georgia? Ah…well, I think she's doing okay. I haven't gotten to talk to her much lately, she's been so caught up in club activities."

"But she's not an officer, is she?" Kana asked, his eyes looking desperate for any sort of information.

Lillian tilted her head to the side, mildly surprised. "Well, she technically is…she's the, uh, sergeant at arms."

"So she's not," Kana murmured, leaning back in his chair and sighing to himself. "I don't know why she would choose not to be president…it just doesn't make any sense…uh, don't tell anyone I asked about this, alright? Please?"

"Sure," the brunette replied, too exhausted to bother questioning him further. Whatever his curiosity was regarding Georgia, it would have to wait until the next day, when she was feeling up to getting involved in other people's business.

The class drew by slowly, with Dirk being the sole student to suggest any answers. When Mr. Hamilton called on Lillian she merely stared at him, having completely zoned out of the entire situation. Much to her surprise Dirk answered for her, shrugging off the scolding Mr. Hamilton gave him afterwards for talking out of turn. When she tried to thank him, he rolled his eyes and shrugged.

Once the last ten minutes of class arrived – free time he always gave to start on assignments – the Oracle leaned towards Lillian. "Did anything suspicious happen during your shift today? How did your friends treat you? Were they mad? Did Laney end up telling Ash? Is Ash mad at you?"

"Uh…no, Laney didn't tell anyone. Cam was the first to find out, but he didn't tell anyone either. Everything is just…going fine. Like usual. Nothing weird happened."

The Oracle frowned, tilting her head to the side. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Lillian replied, looking out the window. The first day of school hadn't been too far off, but looking down at the spot she had cried to Ash at made her feel like months had already separated that day from the present. "I guess I just feel stupid. I caused a lot of trouble doing this. I shouldn't have taken charge and okayed this idea in the first place."

"Why did you?" Dirk asked, raising an eyebrow. The Oracle swatted his arm, rolling her eyes at him.

Lillian continued to stare out the window, missing it all. "Because Ash was struggling and getting frustrated, and I wanted to help. I didn't think it would cost so much and I'd have to go behind everyone's back to raise the money so they didn't have to cancel it so the entire club wouldn't riot all because I gave them the go ahead without consulting anyone else first. I'm a pretty terrible vice president. I'll have to start working a lot harder."

The Oracle smiled, tilting her head to the side. "You're sweet, Lillian."

"Huh?" she and Dirk asked together, the girl's comment being sudden enough to pull Lillian's attention from the window.

"You're used to confiding in Ash, but now you're holding all this back from him and dealing with everything for him. And I'm _not _trying to say you like him this time. I'm saying it's nice."

"I've never seen you give someone such a genuine compliment," Dirk murmured, leaning back against the window and rolling his eyes.

"Most people don't deserve them," the Oracle replied calmly.

Lillian turned to the window once more, wearing a smile as she murmured her thanks. _She's right_, she realized. _I shouldn't look at this mess and just see it as something stupid I did. It was something I did to help Ash, and so I need to keep going with it and give it my all. _She swept her belongings up and grinned at the group, waving to everyone. "I think I'm going to head to my club now. I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Can you get there by yourself?"

"Ah."

Dirk sighed and shook his head, pushing himself to his feet. "Let's go then. Pay attention this time, because I'm not going to walk you again."

"Okay," Lillian muttered, sighing. How many times had she made the walk? _Too many to get lost so often_, she thought with a groan. Just several days before she had been late to her meeting after being left by Laney in the hall. Dirk didn't offer to take her textbooks or anything of the sort like Ash or Mikhail did when they walked her, but she didn't mind due to the alternative pointless, solitary meandering. The hallways were empty, offering club officers a chance to get quickly to their clubs, and she found the silence between them unnerving. Still, she didn't want to be the one to break it and be caught talking to him by one of her friends – that would only reinforce the idea that she was out to try and hurt Ash.

"Look…about that picture," Dirk started, shoving his hands into his pockets. "It didn't have anything to do with me or the Oracle or Kana. I'm looking into it, but…we wouldn't do that. It's stupid. I have no reason to try and make Ash mad at you."

Lillian had to admit that she _had _considered the possibility of them turning on her, but had dismissed it. "I know," she answered. "It must have been someone who heard from my friends that I had the lessons, or someone who heard us plan it out and then saw me in the cafeteria. It didn't cause anything too bad, so it's fine."

"The Oracle told me Laney was kind of annoyed with you," Dirk mumbled, looking slightly embarrassed. "So…I'm sorry someone in my club troubled you and made your friend angry. I know it has to have been someone in Konohana but…I don't have full control over them all."

Lillian looked at him in surprise, smiling. A genuine apology from someone who, one week ago, was pretending she didn't exist. "It's okay. It's not your fault."

Dirk stopped at the Bluebell door, leaning in. Georgia and Cam were the only ones inside, and both jumped when they saw him with her. "Where's Ash?" he asked.

"What?" Lillian asked, frowning. "Why do you need to see him?"

"I have to make sure the meeting for Friday is still set. Run along, go do your little club duties," he told her, gesturing with his hand. Lillian glared at him for a moment, but the pointed look he gave her silenced her. _He's trying to make sure they don't think we're getting along_, she realized as she walked over to Georgia. This only made her feel worse.

The redhead laughed and asked, "You still can't find your way to the clubroom? I'm sorry you had to walk over here with him. Want me to draw you a map?"

"Yes please," Lillian replied with a smile. She felt an urge to stand up for Dirk and support him, but a greater urge to protect her friendship with everyone prevented that. She looked over her shoulder at her old friend, who was leaning against the doorframe, hands still in his pockets, and then turned and watched Georgia begin to sketch out a map of the school for her, marking off different areas. She lifted her eyes to Cam, and the boy offered an encouraging smile that didn't help out much.

_I wanted to come here so I could be a friend to both Ash and Dirk again_, Lillian fretted as she watched the map grow larger and larger. _But now I have to decide between them and fight against them._She glanced at Georgia, who was biting her lip in concentration, and asked, "Do you know what our first competition is going to be, Georgia?"

"It's one of my favorites!" the girl burst out excitedly, pausing from her work on the map. "The actual competition changes every year, but the first and last – and some sprinkled through the semesters – always include a head on contest between the Bluebell and Konohana club officers. Like, Ash against Dirk, you against…"

"Hiro," Lillian answered, leaning against the table and sighing. "Do you participate too?"

"Sergeant at arms isn't recognized as an actual position, so I don't think so. Unless for whatever reason their team has one too," Georgia shrugged. "Which would be pretty great. Don't worry, Hiro isn't very strong. You'll beat him easily. He's so nice he might actually just let you win. If Cam or Laney has to go up against someone like Kana though…that guy is an idiot, but he's strong. If it's a battle of the wits it's in the Bluebell bag, but it's usually some strength based or endurance thing."

_Kana_! Lillian remembered suddenly. He had been _very _interested in finding out more about Georgia. She was reluctant to reveal what she knew, but did ask, "I sit next to him in my last block. How do you know him?"

"He _tormented _me as a kid!" Georgia burst out, jabbing her fist into the air. "Just thinking about all the things that little brat did gets me hot under the collar. He teased me all the time, to the point where the entire class started making fun of me – because of my accent, you know. I don't have much of one now, but back then I wouldn't even talk because he would give me such a hard time since it was so heavy. You were in a different class from me, so you never saw, but it was awful. Then the idiot goes and thinks he can…ugh, never mind. I don't even want to talk about him. Maybe you should go fetch Ash and see what's taking so long. I finished the map and _here _is his classroom!"

Georgia marked one last room with a blue star and proudly help her map out towards the brunette. Lillian thanked her, too stunned at the fiery way she had described Kana – who seemed like a relatively nice guy – to do anything but walk past Dirk and down the hall.

The map was surprisingly accurate, even down to miniscule details, considering she had such a small amount of time. Georgia had quickly sketched out the rows of lockers, color coded the halls by which grade's rooms were where, and drew an arrow pointing from Lillian's last class to the club room that was impossible to lose. It didn't take her long to come to Ash's room, where she found him talking to Reina. The dark-haired girl had something in her hand but crumpled it up instantly upon seeing Lillian, turning on her heel and marching off in towards the opposite direction of the hall. Lillian glanced at her map and checked – she was going to the Konohana club room. Ash turned and met her curious eyes, laughing when he saw the map in her hands.

"What are you doing over here? You don't have to come fetch me. I was about to come pick you up, actually."

"Someone showed me the way," Lillian murmured, folding her map up and tucking it into the pocket of her skirt. "And that person is waiting to talk to you, so Georgia sent me to make sure you got here so he could leave."

Ash's smile faltered. "Dirk walked you?"

"Because he wanted to talk to you," Lillian repeated. "Something about making sure the meeting between us is still on. What did Reina want?"

Ash didn't look pleased at all, but didn't ignore Lillian's question. "I don't know, she never really finished with what she was saying. She used to be really good friends with Cam, so I said I'd hear her out, but she kept beating around the bush and asking me really random questions. She asked what I thought of you, if I trusted you, etc etc. I really don't know what was going through her mind."

They rounded the corner to find Dirk there, suspicion heavy in his eyes. "Interesting," he murmured, folding his arms.

"The meeting is still on," Ash told him bluntly, grabbing Lillian's wrist and pulling her around the boy. She turned and caught his eyes however, frowning. Did he really suspect…Reina? He looked at her and shrugged before heading off, quick to traverse the halls towards his own clubroom.

Laney and Mikhail had entered the clubroom as well when they returned. Cam called out, "Did you meet up with him? He said it was weird that you had taken so long so he went after you."

"We saw him," Ash answered, frowning. "Let's start separating people into jobs today. Mikhail, can you play the violin for entertainment?"

"Sure," the boy answered with a grin.

"Laney, you're on baking. See if your dad would be willing to help too. Just keep animal themes. Cam, you'll have to be totally out of your element because gardening is their thing. We're making a point of inviting animals, so you'll be the animal sitter."

Laney was thrilled with her position, but Cam stared blankly at his friend, looking miserable. "Okay," he mumbled.

"I'll appoint a bunch of other seniors to help you. Lillian, you're on drinks. They'll be colored, give them lame animal names, it won't make a difference. Georgia, you'll be doing raffle tickets at the door. We'll raffle off animal things or whatever, I guess."

"You're really not doing a good job at this," Georgia told him, sighing.

Ash glared at her, but Lillian replied, "We can work on the specifics later, but right now we should sort up the seniors in the club into jobs. Did you get the location settled, Cam?"

Georgia frowned and looked away, but Ash put his arm around Lillian's shoulders, leaving it there as Cam answered, "I knew a lot of people wouldn't drive out to this school so I picked an area not too far from any town and rented it for the day for 500 G. There's lots of trees around that will be good for signs, so we need to make sure someone gets that together in the next coming week – the day it's rented is in two weeks. You'll…have the 20,000 G by the end of this week, right?"

"Right, the…donations are coming along nicely," Lillian murmured, turning in towards Ash's chest. "Thanks, Cam."

Ash raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, and Lillian didn't bother telling him.

* * *

Ash rushed towards the elementary school as soon as the club block ended, having promised to pick Cheryl up due to his mother being out of town for the day. Laney, much to her surprise, invited her over and promised a ride home afterwards. "We can get started on some signs," she told her, offering a smile that was slightly apologetic. "So, how about it?"

Lillian had agreed without hesitation, eager to ensure Laney wasn't still upset with her. Their walk was growing increasingly awkward, however, as they trailed off along the long path separating the town from the out of the way school. The brunette struggled to come up with some sort of conversational topic, and finally settled with, "Are Cam and Reina still friends? I saw her talking to Ash today and he said that she was really close with him, but I've never seen them together."

"They're not," Laney answered, her expression souring. "They were close, a while ago, but they stopped spending time together halfway through junior year, and they don't talk anymore. I don't know much about their relationship, but I know she thought he was into her and then found proof that he wasn't and was hurt he hadn't told her. So, now she stays away from him."

"Oh," Lillian replied. She thought of Cam blushing at the mention of Laney and wondered if Reina had managed to find concrete proof that he was interested in her. She wished _she _could get some sort of clear, definite answer in regards to the relationship between the two. She looked around and asked, "Where is Cam, anyways?"

"I don't know, on Mondays he always goes somewhere after school. He's a mysterious guy," she smiled, her pace picking up as they continued towards home, talk flowing excitedly towards the posters they were preparing for.

Lillian smiled back, hands on the straps of her bag as they went. If the rest of her senior year went like this, she decided, then maybe the club situation wasn't so bad after all.


	8. His Dejected Feelings

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: This chapter is another fairly long one, haha. I usually have a hard time writing lots but it's easy with this story hahaha. I'm glad everyone seems to like it so far, and I hope you all continue to! Thanks for the kind words, it's very sweet. (: Also, I wanted to note: in this story there are a lot of different, intertwining plots due to the many different characters I am covering and plan to cover. So if you're like hey what about this and this, please keep in mind that everything will be tied up, it's just that I wanted this story not to reflect like, a commercialized view of high school, but a genuine reflection. When I was in school and I noticed something was wrong with several friends, I didn't go in order and magically find out what was wrong with each of them haha, I went back and forth and it took time to learn more. So please keep in mind that I am definitely going to tie up every loose end, and Lillian won't be forgetting about any of her friends' problems haha! With that said, please enjoy reading. (:  
_

* * *

A cherry sprawled to the floor, and Laney laughed as Lillian attempted to throw it into a trash can and missed terribly. They had been enjoying the early moments of their break discussing even _more _poster designs and sharing a snack – one Laney was more inclined to offer now that she knew Lillian was around food she couldn't eat all lunch. As Lillian rose to pick up the cherry, however, someone beat her to it and deftly tossed it into the trash can, wearing an expression that soured that fun.

"Can you come with me please, Lillian? I don't mean to ruin your fun, but it's important," the Oracle told Lillian, glancing apologetically from her to Laney.

Lillian turned to meet her friends eyes, but Laney simply smiled and shrugged. "It's alright," she told her. "I'll see you in club block. Let me know if you need anything, alright?"

Lillian agreed and helped the blonde gather up her belongings, waving her off as she fought the anxiety growing due to the Oracle's dampened spirits. The pink-haired girl began to prance down the hall despite the strange looks she was receiving just from being there, but Lillian could tell that there was _something _disturbing her. The usual delight and intrigue the Oracle wore had vanished, replaced with thin lines of worry and confusion. "Are you okay?" she asked, struggling to keep up.

"I suppose," the Oracle murmured. "I'm more frustrated for your sake than mine, though I am admittedly not having a good day. I'm taking you to meet Dirk, you know. He asked me to fetch you because he didn't want to upset your friends."

Lillian nearly stopped in her tracks as confusion swept through her. "Huh? Why does he want to see me?"

"It's about how that picture wound up in Ash's locker. Hmm, Tuesdays are always pretty terrible, aren't they? Mondays are awful at first, but they get better because you already have that expectation of Monday being terrible, so every good thing seems like a blessing. Tuesdays are awful all the way through. On Mondays you can still feel the weekend, but on Tuesdays all you feel is endless school. It's suffocating." The Oracle sniffed, shrugging. "But, school is mandatory. I suspect you're forced to go so you can learn what it's like to deal with difficult people for the 'real world.' Dirk thinks that's being pessimistic, but it's easy for him to say – he's on his way to being valedictorian, after all."

"I always thought you liked school," Lillian replied, surprised by the sudden reel of information. Had Dirk found out who had set her up? Was Dirk really _that _clever? And, strangely of all, she had never heard the Oracle sound so depressed. The prancing had stopped, replaced with an indifferent stroll through the hallways that parted to let the odd girl pass.

"Does anybody like school?" the Oracle replied disinterestedly. "Anyhow, that's not important. You don't have to worry yourself over me. I know you're curious to see who decided to set you up. Dirk is…rather furious, if I say so myself."

Lillian was about to ask why when the Oracle pulled her into a classroom, where Dirk was leaning against the wall, Hiro sitting in a desk before him with his head down. Lillian stared at the boy for a moment before turning a questioning look to Dirk, who waved his hand at her and said, "He didn't take the picture. He asked Reina too. I'm not going to give you the details on this, alright? Just know that it was him who asked, Reina who took the shot and put it in Ash's locker for him."

"But…why?" Lillian asked Hiro. "I don't…understand why you would do that."

"It doesn't matter," Dirk answered. "It's not going to happen again, alright? Just go."

"Dirk," Lillian replied, her voice soft. "Why go through all the trouble of finding this out if you're just going to brush it away?"

"I'm really sorry," Hiro told her before Dirk could answer. "I didn't want to hurt you, and I didn't want to sabotage your club or anything like that. Really! I'm sorry, Lillian."

She thought of how the photograph had caught her and Hiro laughing together and frowned, unsure how to feel. "Hiro, I…did you have a good reason?"

Hiro rose to his feet, hesitated, and then nodded. "I thought I did, at least. I wanted to help someone I care about a lot. I really am terribly sorry, Lillian. I didn't want to hurt your friendship with Ash. I…I'm sorry I can't explain myself." He hurriedly bowed, his hands clenched into fists at his side, looking like he was about to cry.

"Forget about it," Lillian murmured, looking away. "I…don't want to be angry at you, Hiro. As long as this doesn't happen again and I can finish my week without trouble." Hiro began to agree, but she pointed a finger at him, bursting out, "But I'm definitely going to beat you at the first weekly competition as revenge!"

The Oracle smiled, unsurprised by Lillian's reaction. As Hiro smiled and agreed to her terms, Dirk moved to stand beside the girl. "You expected her to forgive him, didn't you?" he mumbled.

"Of course," the Oracle replied. "She doesn't have it in her to hold grudges – unlike some people we know. Luckily for you, she still trusts you enough to not question you any further."

"I didn't expect her to forgive him _or _to leave it be like that. I thought she would never stop bothering me with questions," Dirk sighed, shrugging. "I guess she hasn't changed too much since middle school, then. Still the same naïve kid, too quick to trust everyone, not self-centered enough to put two and two together."

"Sweet enough to accept and gentle enough to help even the people who have hurt her," the Oracle countered. "Just admit that you like her."

Dirk rolled his eyes, turning away. "Admit I like her and then watch her run back to her clubroom to do more things in Ash's name? I'd rather not."

The Oracle watched him stroll from the classroom with a grin, shrugging when Lillian spun and asked where he had gone. "He's got plenty of problems of his own to sort through, it seems," she answered. "I'll help you get to class."

"Oh, it's alright, I have a map now!" Lillian told her excitedly, reaching into her pocket.

"How about I reword myself…let's walk to class together," the Oracle told her, clapping her hands together.

Lillian hesitated, looking surprised, but then smiled. "Sure."

* * *

In homeroom the next day Lillian found herself sitting between Cam and Laney, who had clearly moved past their initial surprise at the truth behind her "supplementary lessons" and were ready to find out more. "Did you ever find out who put that picture in Ash's locker?" Laney asked, frowning.

Lillian hesitated. Lunch with Hiro had been awkward, but she had forced herself to pretend that nothing had happened. Dirk had made it clear that he didn't want her to find out _why _Hiro had gone through the trouble beyond his vague answer, and so she didn't. When he asked later why she wasn't angry with Hiro, she told him that she was angry, but didn't want to show him. "What's the point of that?" Dirk had answered, rolling his eyes. "You're just being a doormat."

And she responded, "I know what it's like to have people looking at you differently for one mistake. I don't even know all the details for his reason, but I believe him when he said it was important. When Cam and Laney found out that I had lied to them about working there and had lied about having everything settled for the fair, putting the entire club's score in jeopardy, they still forgave me and treated me normally because they knew I was doing it for someone important to me – just like Hiro said he was. So…I'll do the same."

She looked from Laney to Cam and shook her head. "I have no clue. Hopefully it never comes up again."

* * *

"I'll miss you working here," Hiro admitted on Friday, staring blankly out towards the cafeteria. "I still can't believe you pulled it off. Ash and Georgia never even knew. Of course, nobody would know if it wasn't for me…I'm sorry."

"Water under the bridge," Lillian murmured. It _had _gotten drastically easier when only Georgia and Ash were left to distract and Cam and Laney had begun to help her. Though she was sure they _thought _they saw her numerous times during the first week, the staff had been told to deny her working there and she was told to hide so quickly that their next glance was devoid of her. Now, however, the problem would only grow. Ash would become more and more frustrated that she did not tell him, and Georgia would become more and more annoyed that she was the last to know. Hiro, Reina, Dirk, the Oracle, Kana, Cam, and Laney _all _had blackmail on her. She leaned forward, sighing. She'd have to keep on her toes.

"I…have something to tell you," Hiro blurt out suddenly, catching her attention. "Something I kept secret earlier but…I don't want you to think poorly of me. But you have to promise you won't tell anybody!" He clapped his hands together before him, eyes hopeful. "I want you to know the truth, but I still have to protect someone important to me."

Lillian perked up at the suggestion that there was more to the initially confusing story he had admitted to earlier, but found the idea that even with knowing the truth she couldn't tell anyone disappointing. _Still, I want to know_. She nodded and murmured, "I won't say anything."

"I…I took the blame for Reina when I found out that Dirk knew it was her. What I told you about protecting someone…I had changed my story to fit in with something Dirk would believe, but the reason I did lie was to protect her. I've been close with her for a long time and she…she's very important to me." He averted his eyes from Lillian's, looking completely miserable. The brunette watched him with sympathy growing in her, her eyes narrowed sadly. "I couldn't tell you why she did it, because that…it really is her business. But please know that it wasn't her intention to make your friends angry at you. It was more of a hope to break your friends apart from each other…but I can't say anymore!"

Lillian frowned at him, feeling more confused than before. _She didn't want my friends angry at me…she wanted them angry at each other? _She knew Reina so little that no answer she proposed seemed to make sense. She finally said, "Is this a regular thing with clubs?"

Hiro nodded. "It is a regular thing between the clubs. But it's not a regular thing with Reina. She's not doing this to destroy Bluebell. Please…when I said I had a good reason, it was because Reina has a good reason. It wasn't fair, what she did. But she had a good reason."

"You really care about her, don't you?" Lillian asked, smiling slightly. He had taken the fall for this girl, his 'dearest friend,' and had been looked at terribly by Dirk, his other best friend. Lillian definitely knew what that was like.

Hiro was silent for a moment, staring out towards the cafeteria. Lillian followed his eyes, noting that beside the table where her friends were laughing was Reina, who was sitting beside Nori and picking sullenly at her salad. "The truth is," Hiro began, heaving a great sigh, "I love her. I have for quite a long time. But I'm afraid Reina does not see me in such a light." He set his hands down on the counter, staring firmly at them. "So please don't be angry with her, or seek revenge against her. I'm telling you this because it almost hurt you and because I trust you, and I want you to know that you can trust me too."

Lillian stared at the boy, stunned. After the first week of working with him she had grown to consider him her friend, but his previous admission had made her wonder if that was truly what he was. Seeing him confess his feelings before her, seeing the misery in his eyes – she knew she had been right. He trusted her not only with the truth of the situation, but the truth of his own feelings. "I won't tell anyone," she decided. "I…thank you, Hiro."

He smiled, nodding, but she sensed that owning up to his love for his friend had taken more out of him than he had expected. He was tapping his fingers against the countertop, looking close to tears once more.

"What did you tell Dirk, then?" she asked, hoping to change the subject. "He seemed so adamant about me not knowing."

Hiro hesitated and then laughed. "Well, I told him that I was hoping to cause trouble between you and Ash for Dirk's benefit, mostly because I correctly believed that he would be too embarrassed to carry out a further investigation."

Lillian's cheeks colored, and she laughed as well. "Well…I'll keep that a secret too."

Her coworker grinned at her, holding his hand out again. "Are you still going to do your best to beat me at this competition?"

"Definitely," she declared, returning his grin as she joined her hand with him, shaking it firmly. "But you do your best too."

Hiro squeezed her hand, smiling for a moment. "Thank you," he finally murmured. "I'll do my best."

* * *

"What's wrong?" Ash asked during their club meeting, frowning at her curious expression. "You haven't talked much at all since I saw you. Is this because of your supplementary lessons? Did you end up having to take more?"

"No," Lillian answered proudly, shaking her head. Cam had met her at her classroom door as he had previously promised to take the money she had earned and place it in the donations can, displaying it excitedly to the rest of the club. Laney and Mikhail cheered for effect, but Ash and Georgia's excitement gave Lillian the ability to believe that she had done the right thing. Going behind their backs to get the money wasn't kind, but as Cam had said once before about the ridiculous stunts clubs pulled to go to the City, the ends justified the means.

"Is this about the meeting we have with Dirk and Hiro after this?" he asked next, laughing when she turned to him with wide eyes. "Apparently not."

If Lillian were to answer truthfully, she would reveal the myriad of questions weighing heavily on her mind. She had been reluctant to ask Hiro anything more, worried that he would feel guilty about already betraying Reina's trust or be put in a compromising position. She remembered the relief she felt when Cam and Laney pretended that they did not know of her lie to them, and she believed that Hiro had been wrapped into a situation he didn't deserve to be in. For that, she spared him the interrogation she had been preparing in her head since. Why would Reina hope to cause problems within the club? She had come to the conclusion that she must have only worried about the club _officers_. She would understand if it had something to do with Cam – no, not understand, but be satisfied with. However, placing the picture in Ash's locker made absolutely no sense. When she had been talking to him earlier it was clear she had been attempting to ask him a question about it, and was perhaps going to offer up another photograph, according to the Oracle and Dirk. Was that because she had failed the first time? She turned to Ash and asked, "What did Reina tell you when you talked to her?"

His eyebrows lifted curiously and he laughed. "Are you jealous?"

"No!" Lillian burst out, feeling her cheeks heat up. "I'm _curious_. You said that she was asking if you trusted me and such…"

"She asked if everything was okay with the club and I said yeah, of course. Then she started asking about you. When she pulled me aside, she said she had something she wanted me to give to Cam for her, but she ended up never giving me anything. Mostly it was questions about you, but none of them really made any sense. She was just acting really weird. Don't worry about it." He patted her knee and then rose to his feet, stretching his hands above his head. "You're still my number one girl."

"That's not the point!" Lillian protested, blanching when he winked at her. "Just go lead the meeting."

He slipped his hands into his pockets with one last grin and loped away, leaving Lillian to put her hands to her burning cheeks. _So it does involve Cam…but if it involves Cam, why didn't she give Cam the picture right away? Why put it into Ash's locker? _Then again, she recalled, it was _Cam _who had found the picture first. How had he gotten it before Ash saw? She pushed herself to her feet as well, but when she looked up she saw Laney asleep on Cam's shoulder, the boy smiling slightly as he wrote out what Ash began to say to the crowd for her. She lowered herself back into her seat with a smile. Her investigation would have to wait a little longer, it seemed.

* * *

"Have you all met?" Principal Ina asked at the meeting, raising an eyebrow as she glanced around the room. "Only one girl this year…how disappointing…"

"We have," Hiro answered.

Principal Rutger grinned, clapping one hand onto Dirk and Ash's backs as they faced each other. "Well then, shake hands and say hi! There's no need to cling to this rivalry…not until next Friday when the first competition rolls around, at least!"

Principal Ina rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I work with an eighty year old child…"

Hiro and Lillian hastily shook hands and started politely greeting each other before Principal Rutger could retaliate. "Nice to see you again," they both said, grinning.

Needless to say, the ceremonial greeting was not going as well for Dirk and Ash, who would have to relive the annoyance at every Konohana/Bluebell meeting and competition for the rest of the senior year. They held their hands out to each other, shook once, and instantly returned their hands to their sides in fists. "Hi," Ash muttered curtly.

"Hey."

Hiro held his hand out to Ash, so Lillian held hers out to Dirk. He smirked and shook her hand, murmuring over Hiro's repeated pleasantries, "It's nice to see you again."

"You too," Lillian replied, smiling at him as he squeezed her hand once before releasing it. Ash, she knew, was always affectionate with her – he would hug her when she came to him with a sorrowful face and he would squeeze her hand if she wasn't feeling well. Dirk, however, had only recently started _speaking_ directly to her in the past four years, and this greeting was perhaps the nicest thing he had ever said to her. Yet she still felt happy to see that she had received an ounce of kindness from him, recalling that he used to be as comfortable around her as Ash, once upon a time. _Maybe we're getting closer, _she thought hopefully.

They all shook the hands of each principal as well, both who noted how lovely it was to see a female in a power position. "It's a shame Georgia didn't do the same this year, though!" Principal Rutger noted when Ash was distracted in a conversation with Lillian. "I remember when she first joined Bluebell back in her freshman year – one of five in her entire class who chose to do so! She said she would become president in her senior year…I suppose kids really do grow up."

Georgia's predicament had completely slipped Lillian's head, which had been filled predominately with thoughts of Ash, Dirk, Cam, Laney, Reina and Hiro as of late. She remembered once more how the girl had easily spoken to every club member, but been absolutely horrified at the prospect of becoming president, to the point where she had _pleaded _with Lillian to do something about Ash. "I guess so," she replied, but her mind strayed back to the curious redhead as she took her seat before Hiro and beside Ash.

"Well, we'll leave you four to talk," Principal Ina announced, slamming her hand rather hard onto her coworker's shoulder. "We already know what's going on thanks to our informants and the meetings we have with you presidents. Be friendly!"

They all answered that they would, but the principals' departure was met with utter silence. Lillian looked at Hiro, who shrugged, and then at Ash, who was staring at the floor. She looked at Dirk to see he was glaring straight as Ash, much to her surprise. _Can I talk?_ She wondered. Was it supposed to be the presidents who started the conversation? Would she be stepping out of her place if she started speaking on behalf of her club when the club's president was at her side? She wanted to help Ash, but felt completely stunted. She looked questioningly at Hiro, and he smiled and asked, "Do you have a fundraiser set up already?"

"Yes," she replied gratefully. "Do you?"

"We're setting up gardens at the elementary schools," Dirk answered. "What are you doing?"

"A fair," Ash answered for her.

Dirk nodded, and Lillian felt even more grateful that the boys were being kind enough to feign ignorance.

"Have either of you heard what the first competition will be about?" Hiro chipped in next, looking back and forth between them.

Ash was silent for a moment, finally shrugging. "We haven't heard anything," Lillian replied.

Dirk leaned towards her, resting his elbows against his knees. "I'm pretty sure it'll be a cooking competition, just so you know. Hiro said that the cafeteria ordered some stock they were told not to touch for a week."

"Oh, right!" Hiro exclaimed. "Remember…_I _remember they brought some things in one Thursday."

Lillian _did _remember that. "Oh," she nodded. "Well, that sounds fun." She glanced at Ash, who looked back at her with a despondent expression that caught her off guard. _He's not as good at concealing his emotions as Dirk_, she realized, pressing her knee against his sympathetically. He smiled at her for a moment, but still didn't throw anything into the conversation.

"If Laney is competing, she should win," Dirk noted. "You and Hiro will be a toss-up. Nori is our treasurer, and she's an impressive cook."

"Cam is our treasurer," Lillian murmured, hesitating. _Was _Cam a good cook?

"Cam is great," Ash answered.

Lillian smiled at him, unsurprised. Of course he would join the conversation when it mentioned his best friend. She was constantly impressed with the bond those two had developed over time. "Laney is our secretary."

"She'll be up against Reina then," Hiro told her, avoiding meeting her eyes. "Reina isn't the best cook, and Laney is fantastic. She's won the school's cooking competition every year. I would say though, Nori is a force to be reckoned with. She's come in second every year. You should tell Cam in advance so he can try working with Laney."

"Don't be too helpful," Dirk said, and then grinned when Lillian looked at him with wide eyes. "Calm down, I'm only kidding. The first competition isn't particularly important, but it's a good way to build team cooperation. All you need to worry about is what the informants see, since they could take away all of your points."

"The buzzers?" Lillian asked, tilting her head to the side.

Dirk and Hiro both laughed, though the latter tried to hide it. Ash patted her knee with a small smile, nodding his head. "The informants is what their real name is, but Georgia doesn't like it. They pledge to give their honest opinion of the group no matter who they are. So even if it's our friend, they'll dock us all of our points if they know we're not working together well as a club or if we're cooperating too much with another club."

"…Oh," Lillian mumbled, staring at her feet. She felt the eyes of all three boys' upon her, but wasn't sure what to say. What if one of the buzzers knew what she had done? She didn't think it was one of the club officers, but…_Mikhail_, she thought with a frown. He had been acting strange throughout the entire situation. But he had been so helpful to her, and done his best to hide her predicament from the rest of the group…_it's not him_, she decided. She looked up at Dirk again and nodded. "I understand."

"How long do we have to stay here?" Ash asked, frowning.

Dirk met his eyes with obvious annoyance. "A half hour."

"Hm."

Hiro offered his watch to Lillian, who noted that only fifteen minutes had passed. She had found that in most school situations, fifteen minutes didn't seem to take very long. Here, however, the remaining fifteen minutes stretched out endlessly before her. Fifteen minutes added to the countless time she would spend ensuring Ash and Dirk didn't attempt to kill each other. _And I'm the one trying to make them friends again_, she sighed, shaking her head at herself. It seemed as ridiculous as Laney had seemed to consider it all of a sudden.

"Are you still coming over tomorrow?" Dirk asked abruptly, meeting her eyes.

Ash turned and looked at her with all the surprise she felt. She raised an eyebrow, asking, "What?"

"The Oracle said you're in our group for history. Me, you, her and Kana. She told you about coming over tomorrow, right?"

"She said she had a surprise tomorrow!" Lillian protested, putting her head in her hands. "Why doesn't she ever tell me anything?"

Dirk grinned, though she wished he wouldn't. It only tacked onto to Ash's frustration. Hiro cleared his throat and replied, "What is your project on?"

"The rival villages we base our clubs on," Dirk replied. "Lillian and I are supposed to research Bluebell and the Oracle and Kana are supposed to research Konohana."

"We are?" Lillian asked. "Why didn't I know a thing about this?"

"We signed you up after you left for the club block," he shrugged. "Technically, the Oracle did. Ask her, not me. I don't know why she does anything."

But he obviously _did _know that this was bothering Ash, for he smirked in the boy's direction. Lillian felt a surge of frustration run through her, and she turned to Ash and asked, "Do you have to do a project like this?"

He met her eyes with the same depressed look he had worn earlier and mumbled, "Yeah, I have to meet with my group tomorrow too."

She looked once more at Dirk's expression, which was furiously amused by Ash's troubles, and blurted out, "Can we hang out on Sunday?"

He raised an eyebrow and said, "I have to do that thing for my mom's shop-"

"I know. Can I help?"

Ash stared at her for a moment longer, as though trying to figure out what her motive was, and finally laughed. "Sure. Whatever you want." He lifted his hand and placed it on her head, ruffling her hair once more despite her protests. "Thanks," he murmured, removing his hand when her hair was sufficiently disturbed. She shot him a dark look but smiled when she caught his as she began to smooth her hair back down. Dirk leaned back in his seat, exchanging a look with Hiro.

When the remaining moments of awkwardness finally trickled out, they all bid their farewells, though Dirk pulled Lillian aside when Hiro was shaking Ash's hand. "Here's my address," he told her, extending a folded slip of paper. "In case the Oracle tries to mess with you."

"That was rude of you," she told him, narrowing her eyes as she snatched it and pushed it into her pocket, right beside the map.

He smiled for a moment, albeit a rather smug one. "Everyone does rude things. Even you. Even him. Let it be canceled out by me finding out who tried to mess with you and I'll just be the same old person as ever."

"You're always rude," Lillian countered.

"Then remember me like that," he shrugged, flicking her in the forehead once more. She swore under her breath, which greatly amused him. "I'll see you tomorrow then," he told her cheerfully, striding out the door with Hiro at his side.

Ash put a cool hand against her forehead as she glared after him. "I can never tell how much of him is really an act," she mumbled. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't know."

"Forget about it," he replied, his voice surprisingly calm. "I know that." Lillian looked up at him, her eyes widening as she caught the sincerity in his eyes. He looked away, lowering his hand to cover her eyes. "I don't care if you do some history project with him. If he becomes your best friend and you go hand in hand through school though, I'll be a little annoyed."

"A little," Lillian repeated, trying to pull his hand away as she laughed. "That's not going to be happening."

Ash finally removed his hand, catching hers. Lillian tried to pull free teasingly, but was surprised to see that he tightened his grip, smiling at her. "Good. Now, hurry up, or we'll be locked in here all weekend." He swept both of their bags up and onto his left shoulder, still holding onto her left hand as he pulled her out the room. Lillian hesitated and then smiled as well, allowing him to pull her along. Dirk and Hiro were long gone, and so Ash and Lillian walked hand in hand through the empty school.


	9. No Apologies

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: This chapter is pretty focused on romance, haha, and a bit on history too. I thought we could use a little bit of a focus on Lillian's love standing for a chapter haha. The other predicaments have to bide their own time for now. Thanks for the reviews and I hope you all enjoy reading! (:_

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" Lillian asked as she and the Oracle respectively walked and skipped down the sidewalk, nearing Dirk's house.

"Mr. Hamilton forgot to mention it until after you left, and Dirk wanted to finish it early since the fundraiser is next Saturday. Yours is too, isn't it? So it all worked out that we started so early!"

Lillian looked at her, amazed that the girl was able to be either so ignorant or so conspiratorial to act in such a nonchalant manner. "But you caught me after the club meeting and told me that you had a surprise…if you had time to tell me that, why didn't you tell me the rest of the situation? Dirk completely blindsided me."

The Oracle hesitated and then shrugged. "It didn't occur to me."

_Conspiratorial_, Lillian decided. There was no way the Oracle, who consistently suggested that there was something going on between Ash and Lillian, would be careless enough to miss out on how her 'surprise' would affect that. At the very least, she knew that Ash and Dirk hated each other and that Lillian going to the house of her best friend's greatest enemy wouldn't blow over well. However, she decided to leave the Oracle alone about this. _Whatever she's planning, she's got some reason for it_, she figured. Instead she said, "Do you like the weekends a lot?"

"Hmm…they're better than the week, I suppose. But no, not particularly. I don't like any time at all, actually." She smiled and looked up towards the sky before tacking on, "I am a bit odd, aren't I? It would be fine and dandy if I lived far away from everyone and did my own thing, but I live in a small town where everybody knows your name and I go to a school where everyone is by the books normal. I stick out like a sore thumb, so they say. It's not very fun."

Lillian looked at her in surprise, sympathy and guilt pouring from her. She too was fully aware that the Oracle was strange, but had grown to enjoy her for it. She considered her a friend as much as the girl claimed to feel the same way about her. "I'm sorr-"

"We're here!" the Oracle interrupted, flinging her arms open before a house. "I've never been here before either. Kana is probably already waiting, so let's hurry inside."

She promenaded off after that, looking around excitedly. Lillian hesitated and then smiled. When the Oracle was ready, she would talk more about her feelings. For now, all Lillian could do was be a friend to a girl who clearly felt that she was unappreciated by her peers and fellow townspeople. Dirk opened the door and looked over the Oracle's shoulder to her, and she hastened to catch up, her backpack shaking as she ran. Kana peered around the corner, smiling. "Hey, Lillian, Oracle!"

"Hi!" Both girls replied cheerfully. Dirk swung the door open, blocking Lillian's way as she tried to pass by. "What?" she demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"Did your boyfriend forgive you?"

"Yes."

"You're not going to bother denying it, then?" the Oracle asked, turning around with a grin, not looking the slightest bit surprised that Lillian was being held up.

"There's no point, since no matter how much I deny it, nobody stops saying it," Lillian mumbled, shrugging as she darted around Dirk and followed Kana towards the center room.

Dirk's house was rather small, but well kept. She was impressed by the finery around it. She looked at a picture and gasped, blurting out, "That's Ivan? He looks so different now! Wow."

"That's him," Dirk answered, coming to stand beside her. "Him and his girlfriend Anita. He moved once I turned eighteen someplace where he could tutor, and she works in a town not too far from there."

"He looks nice, and so does she," Lillian murmured, smiling. She could recall all the times she spent over at Dirk's old house under his older brother's care. Ivan had been the complete opposite of Dirk back then – serious, ambitious, vastly intelligent. Dirk was much the same now, though every once and a while she got to peer into the remains of the playful, teasing, cheerful boy he had once been. "When was the last time you saw him?"

"When he left," Dirk muttered. He spun her around, pushing her before him farther into the living room. "Let's just get started on our project."

She looked at him over her shoulder and he averted his eyes, staring off towards other pictures. She vaguely recognized his parents, though those pictures were the only memories she had of them. They had passed away a year before she met Dirk. She allowed him to push her down onto the couch, sitting beside her. The Oracle smiled, sitting gently on the table across from her. "What was Dirk like when he was younger, Lillian?"

"The same," Dirk retorted.

"Not really," Lillian countered, raising an eyebrow.

Dirk clapped his hand over her mouth when she went to speak further, catching her by the arm. "We'll be right back," he told the Oracle and Kana, pulling her away. She pulled frustratedly at his hand, though he held tight, and shot a pointed look at the Oracle, who was smiling, and Kana, who gave her a sympathetic shrug. He pulled her down the hall and into a room that was clearly his, judging from the faint shades of maroon everywhere.

"What is it?" she demanded when he released her. "You _aren't_ the same."

"Not everybody needs to know that," he told her with a sigh. "Alright? Don't talk about how everything was back then. I'm a completely different person, and I don't want to have to deal with the past this late in high school."

"There's nothing to be ashamed of!" Lillian protested, folding her arms. "You were fun when you were younger. What's wrong with that?"

Dirk rolled his eyes, looking away. He was quiet for a moment, clearly struggling with his anger. When he spoke, it was in a mild, contained tone. "You can't come here after four years and talk to me as though you know me, Lillian. You have no clue who I am or why I wouldn't want my past revealed, so why don't you just believe me when I say I _don't want it revealed_. Take a cue from Ash and just don't talk to me. Pretend just like he does that we never met until this year. Alright?"

Lillian was visibly hurt, and Dirk averted his eyes again. She nodded, swallowing hard. "Okay," she murmured.

He turned and left the room, heading back towards the rest of the group. Lillian lingered, staring hard at the wall as she fought tears. Finally she took several steps forward, grabbing the doorknob to close it behind her. She caught her breath, however, as she saw what was behind it.

A picture of Dirk and Ash, each with their arms around her in the middle, beamed back at her. All three seventh graders looked positively thrilled, grinning at the cameraman who must have been Ivan, considering the backdrop was their old house. She looked towards the hallway, noting that Dirk hadn't caught her, and brushed her fingertips against the frame. It was coated with dust. _Still_, she smiled to herself. _He didn't want to completely forget about us_.

She closed the door behind her and returned to the living room, taking a seat beside Kana on the second couch. He offered her another sympathetic look, but it was easier to throw herself into the conversation as though her feelings hadn't been hurt with the weight of this new knowledge. _Maybe he does want to pretend the past never happened_, she told herself_, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care about it._

Dirk glanced at her, sighing. The Oracle leaned in close to him as Kana showed Lillian what he had written down so far in his notebook. "You made her cry, didn't you?"

"Shut up."

"That's no way to win back your girlfriend."

"Drop it," he retorted. "I didn't mean to make her cry."

The Oracle leaned back, still wearing a faint smile. "Of course." And with that she too threw herself into the conversation with renewed vigor, leaving only Dirk to stare blankly at the group, thoughts heavy on his mind.

* * *

Ash's pet store was filled with customers who were excitedly looking at the arrival of new kittens and puppies, cooing and awwing over every single thing the animals did. Lillian herself was holding a calico kitten close to her chest, smiling at its sweet gaze. "You might as well adopt it," Ash told her, leaning against the wall beside her.

"I wish," she murmured.

He glanced at her and then reached over to the pet the kitten as well, looking out towards the store. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm?"

"You've seemed off all day. Did something happen at Dirk's house?"

Lillian hesitated for a moment, but remembered her promise to confide more in Ash. "He told me to treat him the way same way you do – like I never met him before. He was upset with me for telling the Oracle that he didn't used to be like he is now."

Ash impressed her by holding back any harsh remarks of the boy. Instead he told her calmly, "He's just worried about shaking the image he has now. I doubt he wanted to hurt your feelings or anything. People change for a reason – they don't like the person they are. So he probably doesn't want you to tell everyone about the person he didn't like."

"_I _liked him better that way," Lillian muttered. "He was a lot nicer back then."

Ash grinned, moving his hand to brush against hers. Lillian looked up at him with surprise, her cheeks faintly red. They had held hands all the way to their town two days before and parted as though there was nothing strange about the action, but the implications of it welled up inside her now. He merely laughed at her expression however, and continued on with their conversation. "So did I. You really do want the three of us to be friends again, don't you?"

"What? How did you-"

"Cam told me. Laney told him about it, since she was worried she encouraged you to do something pointless."

"They really do tell everything to each other," Lillian murmured. "I'll need to keep that in mind."

Ash laughed again, squeezing her hand and then returning it to his side. "I get it, Lil. I really do. I know you want us all to be best friends again like we used to. But…me and him being friends again…I don't think it's going to happen. Neither of us are ever going to apologize…and the same problem is just coming up again. Can't exactly build a friendship on the same reason you stopped being friends in the first place…"

"Huh?" Lillian cocked her head to the side, returning the kitten to its pen. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Ash murmured. "I'll tell you more about it one day. I know you're curious. But as for now…I'd rather pretend I never met him until this year too. Don't let him bother you too much. He'll cave eventually. He likes you, anyways."

Lillian laughed, shaking her head. "Sure."

Ash smiled back at her, and a child rushed up and asked if he could see the kitten she had just been holding. His smile disappeared as soon as she looked away, replaced with a grimace. "Sure," he repeated, shaking his head.

* * *

Georgia and Lillian sat together at lunch, the rest of their friends too busy being entertained by Ash's latest club story, which Georgia and Lillian had already seen firsthand. The others laughed, but Georgia was staring miserably at her paperwork, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Lillian asked, trying to read it as well. From what she saw, it seemed to be notes about the club. When her friend saw her looking, however, she quickly shoved it into her bag.

"It's not important," Georgia muttered, turning away. "It's just club stuff. I…really want everything to work out, but I'm worried. I can't find out who the buzzer is, and it's driving me crazy."

Laney and Ash looked over at this comment, exchanging a sympathetic shrug. Mikhail had stopped laughing. Cam began a new conversation, also looking sorry for her. Lillian frowned, more confused than usual. "Why is it so important?" she murmured. "I wouldn't worry about it. As long as we do our best, the buzzer will have nothing to judge us on, right?"

Georgia stared at the table for a long time, and Lillian knew she had said something wrong. Finally the redhead answered, "That should be the case. Do your best." Without another word, however, she pushed her chair back and left the cafeteria, Laney hastening to follow her.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Ash told her before she could ask. "Georgia absolutely hates buzzers. Of course, it's not their fault – they're essentially forced to tell the principal the truth, and they pledge to do so. There are two of them in each club, so the principal knows if one is withholding information. But still, she hates them."

Lillian slid into Georgia's departed chair beside him, frowning. "But why? I mean, it's unfortunate that we have to be judged from the inside too, but it seems like a good idea to me, or else we could be terrible club officers driving our club to victory only through being harsh and we could win. It keeps things fair, doesn't it?"

"It does," Cam replied. "But everyone has their reasons, remember?"

She caught his eyes and, after a moment's hesitation, nodded. "You're right. I guess I'll just have to wait until she feels like talking about it."

Cam smiled at her, shrugging. "It'll come up eventually. She'll find out who the buzzer is sooner or later, though I hope she doesn't."

With that their conversation lapsed into silence, everyone sighing. _I wonder if this buzzer thing has anything to do with her not wanting to be president, _Lillian wondered, looking over her shoulder towards the direction Georgia had rushed off to. Once again, however, that issue had to take a backseat to Lillian's current problems. _I'll find out eventually_, she promised, but wondered if she would ever grow as close to Georgia as she was to the others.

* * *

Lillian slid into her seat from behind Kana's, leaning against the window. Lunch with her friends had been uneventful except for Georgia's incident, and she found herself thinking that it would have been fun to work another day with Hiro. She glanced over at Kana, wondering if he knew much about Georgia. He _had _teased her a lot apparently, though he now seemed to have quite an interest in her. He glanced over and caught her looking, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?" he asked, catching the Oracle's attention.

"Nothing."

"You were just staring at me."

"Sorry."

"Just tell me what it is," he told her, laughing.

The Oracle smiled, tilting her head to the side. "Are you worried about your friend? I saw her rush off from the cafeteria today."

"Georgia?" Kana asked, leaning forward. "Is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's great," Lillian lied. She enjoyed her friendship with the Oracle, but didn't want to give her a reason to develop some sort of blackmail on Georgia. "Don't worry about her."

"Are you upset or something?" Kana asked, folding his arms. "You seem bummed. Did something happen with your other friends?"

"No, everything is going great," Lillian lied once more. She found that Dirk's words still weighed heavy on her despite Ash's attempts to comfort her, and thinking more about how little she knew her friends only made her feel worse. _He's right – I need to start judging people based on now rather than what I used to know. I tell myself that all the time, so why can't I do it?_ She forced a smile before turning towards the window, allowing her face to fall.

Class dragged on, but she felt the Oracle's eyes on her often. When free time rolled around, the pink-haired girl leaned over, frowning. "You really are sad, and I can't actually figure it out. Usually I understand why you're upset. What happened? Is it something with Ash?"

"No, of course not. Ash is always nice to me," Lillian replied with a small smile. "I'm not upset. I'm just tired."

The Oracle leaned back, still looking suspicious. "Well, how was the rest of your weekend? You helped Ash out at his shop, didn't you? His mother owns an animal shop, right?"

Lillian was amazed to be _asked questions _by the Oracle rather than just given answers. It seemed she had finally stumbled onto something the girl didn't know before her – her own feelings. "Yeah, she does. It was nice, I just helped out and then we went and got ice cream and he walked me home. Other than that, nothing really happened all weekend."

"It sounds like a date," Kana noted with a grin. "But I know, I know, it wasn't."

Lillian laughed a little herself. It _did _sound like that. She thought of Ash pulling her along by her hand and felt her cheeks heat up. She had acknowledged how common his frequent gestures towards her were, but holding her hand all the way to their usual parting spot was much different. They hadn't spoken of it at all, merely treating it as though it were normal. _Is that what people normally do? _She wondered. _Act like Dirk is the same as ever, act like nothing is strange about Georgia running off, act like Ash didn't do that? _It seemed rather ridiculous to her. She felt her friends' eyes on her and rose quickly, grabbing her belongings. "I think I'll head early to the clubroom today and see if they need any help."

The Oracle and Kana bid farewell to her, but she was quickly joined by Dirk. She shot him a questioning look but he merely gestured for her to lead the way, and she continued out the room. She expected him to turn towards the Konohana clubroom, but he continued by her side, hands in his pockets.

"What is it?" she asked, frowning. "Did you need to talk to someone again?"

"Yeah," he replied, catching her eye. "You."

Lillian's face flushed, and she looked away. "What is it?"

He caught her arm, pulling her to a stop, and didn't let go. "I'm sorry," he told her, holding eye contact in a steady way she knew she could never achieve as her gaze floundered. "I don't want you to treat me like we never met before. But, I don't want you to treat me like you really knew me back then, either."

"Then…how do you want me to treat you?" Lillian asked, frowning.

Dirk wasn't making much sense, and he seemed aware of that. His hold on her tightened for a moment, and he murmured, "I don't know. Just…don't look so depressed. It's annoying."

Lillian frowned, tilting her head to the side. "Then why-" but she stopped herself as a figure rounded the corner and instantly stopped. Ash looked at her, eyes wide at what he had run into.

"Forget it," Dirk mumbled, looking away. He let go of her arm and pushed her forward. "Go with your boyfriend. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ash caught her as she stumbled forward, raising an eyebrow. Lillian looked after the boy with a frown. "I don't get him at all," she mumbled. "That was so strange. He wants me to treat him like he's not a stranger, but he doesn't want me to treat him like I knew him. What does he want?" She straightened up, setting her hand on Ash's forearm to steady herself. "You don't have to come fetch me anymore. I have a map!"

He smiled at her notice, but his eyes drifted towards where Dirk had rounded the corner. "It's things like that that make me want to come get you, though. Let's go."

"What do you mean?" she asked, reaching for his arm as he moved. Much to her surprise, however, he caught her hand instead, pulling her forward.

"I don't get him either, but I don't want him messing with your feelings," Ash mumbled, looking away. "We've got a lot to today, anyways. When's the next time you have to go over to his place?"

"Wednesday," Lillian replied meekly, feeling a nervous wave wash through her. Ash looked back and then suddenly let go of her hand, his cheeks red as he slowed to walk next to her instead. She knew she was blushing as well, and looked away. He held his hands out for her textbooks, and she passed them to him, biting her lip.

He met her eyes with a slight smile and said, "Then we'll plan everything for other days. Let's hurry."

Lillian nodded and sped up to walk with him, but she felt nervous still. She couldn't recall ever feeling so nervous in Ash's company. _So he feels the same way I do, about holding hands_, she noted, sneaking a look at his blush. The possibility of actually having the feelings she was constantly teased for crossed her mind, and she did her best to pretend it didn't. _I can't focus on that right now_, she told herself, tightening her grip on her backpack straps. _I need to focus on the club and my friends for now._

But still, she felt her gaze shift to him occasionally as they walked on.

* * *

When Wednesday rolled around Lillian was far from enthusiastic about meeting up with Dirk at his house. Their conversations had been uncomfortable and only took place when necessary, and every moment away from club duties was precious, considering the haste they were making to put together a fun-filled fair. The rest of the members had taken surprisingly well to the idea and were starting to get genuinely excited – even more so with the added suggestion of a cooking competition. Thinking about leaving that to sit awkwardly beside Dirk and attempt to discover the secrets of Bluebell was rather uncomfortable.

Hiro met her while she waited for Kana however, the Oracle having decided she would catch a ride with Dirk. He hadn't bothered to extend an offer to the other members of the group, to which Lillian was grateful. A walk away from their prying ears gave her a chance to talk to the _real _Kana – which gave her a chance to ask a few questions about Georgia her curiosity had gathered. When Hiro met her instead, however, he said, "Kana can't make it today. He got detention. So I can walk you to Dirk's house, if you'd like."

"Oh…don't you have your club things to handle, though?" she asked, frowning. She couldn't think of a reason Kana would get detention. He didn't _seem _unruly.

"We don't have to do any prep work like your club. Our first fundraiser is rather simplistic," he shrugged. "I offered to copy Kana's information down for him, so I'm already heading over there. Don't worry about it."

Lillian smiled and thanked him, but still felt a little disappointed. Georgia had continued to stare furiously at the notebook she guessed contained possibilities for the buzzer, and it seemed her own club members weren't going to answer any questions. As she and Hiro walked together she asked, "What made you decide to copy his notes down for him?"

"I felt a little sympathy for him, honestly," Hiro frowned. "He has to clean out your clubroom. It's supposed to be a demeaning detention, since he is forced to serve another club – but neither he nor I see it that way. The reason I feel bad is simply because it's such an enormous room for one boy to clean. So I said I would help him out, just this once."

Lillian thought of their massive clubroom, large enough to cram in half the senior class. "Poor Kana. Everyone has been painting in there, too, so it's definitely a mess…wait, why did he get detention?"

"Apparently he didn't turn in his homework. Strange too, since he is usually fairly diligent with his homework or else he doesn't get to go to the stables as often. But everyone makes mistakes, I suppose."

_Georgia has to stay after school in the clubroom today with a couple other members to put together booths_, Lillian thought, tapping her fingers against her leg. _Would he…?_

"Something wrong?"

"Nope," Lillian replied, smiling. "Let's hurry."

* * *

The Oracle flung the door open when she arrived, wearing a cheerful smile. "I baked cupcakes for you, Lillian!"

Lillian and Hiro exchanged a grin, and the brunette stepped forward, tilting her head to the side. "Is that what you did this whole time?"

"Correct!"

"Why did you make cupcakes?" she asked curiously, depositing her bag and textbooks in the entry hall. She saw Dirk sitting in the living room, but didn't bother extending a greeting towards him. _He'd probably just stare at me and then ignore me_, she sighed.

The Oracle clapped her hands together excitedly and exclaimed, "Because you and Ash are one step closer to going out!"

Lillian gaped at the girl, completely dumbfounded. "You…how…what?"

"I was kidding," the Oracle grinned, winking. "But now I see that it's the truth. Actually I made them for you to celebrate your successful two weeks in the cafeteria – mostly as an apology for suggesting such a stressful job. You earned 20,000 G! It's impressive. So Dirk and I made chocolate cupcakes and put blue icing everywhere – for Bluebell."

Lillian tried to shrug off the initial awkwardness and decided to pretend it hadn't happened. Instead she grinned, shaking her head. "That's really nice of you…thanks. I appreciate it."

The Oracle pulled her into the kitchen where, lo and behold, there was a spread of chocolate cupcakes with blue icing spelling out "Congratulations Lil!" across them all. It was clearly the Oracle's handwriting, as it swooped and twirled around the entire expanse of each surface, but she thanked Dirk when he walked into the room too. He leaned against the wall, shrugging. "No problem," he mumbled. He glanced at Hiro and said, "Why are you here?"

"Kana has detention, so I offered to help him take care of his notes and walk Lillian here," he replied cheerfully. Dirk continued to gaze unflinchingly at his friend, clearly looking annoyed. Lillian frowned, raising an eyebrow. From what Hiro had said, they were best friends. She looked at Hiro again, but he merely smiled and said, "Have one of your cupcakes, Lillian."

Lillian hesitantly picked one up, surprised by how good it was. "Too bad you can't compete in this week's competition," she noted with a smile.

The Oracle frowned. "You don't have a sergeant at arms?"

Lillian's cupcake fell to the floor, and she hastened to pick it up with quick apologies. "Your club actually…there really is…uh…never mind. We do have a sergeant at arms…it looks like you'll be competing!"

When she had actually finished a cupcake, consistently trying not to laugh about how much sense it made to put the Oracle as the strangest club position, Dirk caught her arm, pulling her towards his room. "The Oracle has a laptop, so we can use my computer."

"Uh…okay," she mumbled, letting him tug her along. His computer was at the corner of his room, and as soon as he entered he headed towards it – after pushing a t shirt under the door to ensure it didn't close. He gestured for Lillian to sit in the desk chair, unfolding his own seat beside her. "It's kind of weird," she told him suspiciously. "You choosing to research Bluebell, I mean. Considering you are the _president _of its rival."

"I didn't choose to. The Oracle just asked who I wanted to work with and put our names down for whatever she picked."

"You…chose to work with me?" she asked, her eyes widening.

Dirk looked away, shrugging. "Well, Kana's an idiot and the Oracle is hard to keep focused."

"You have no way of knowing I'm not like that," Lillian pointed out, surprised to find she wanted to defend those two.

"You used to…never mind," he mumbled, pushing the button on his computer. "I'll know for myself if I made a mistake or not once we finish."

Lillian smirked to herself, glad she had turned her previous point onto him. She typed in her search for Bluebell the town and scrolled through countless results of Bluebell the flower before finally finding something that read _Bluebell farmer 'gave up'. _"Cam told me about this," she murmured, clicking on the link. Dirk leaned in with her to read the screen.

_The oldened villages of Bluebell and Konohana still stand, but as tourist destinations rather than the lovely places they once were. The proud descendants of the once upon a time rivals now see nothing wrong with their neighbors. Ask one of the few people still living who can recall the fierce rivalry, however, and he'll say things might not have changed for the better._

_ "My wife Rose and I grew up in a time where the villages hated each other, and we also watched the villages grow to care for each other – but it wasn't right. It wasn't Bluebell and Konohana getting over their differences. It was two new towns warped by their new standing as tourist destinations getting along for financial purposes."  
When asked about the turning point of his beloved home, Rutger – the principal of nearby Harvest High – replied, "We had a farmer come to town one day. She swore she was going to make us befriend the Konohana folk. I was just a boy and thought it sounded great, but all the adults hated the idea. She stirred up a lot of attention, making big waves towards reuniting the two towns. Then she gave up – she married someone from our town, settled down, started a family, and completely abandoned her work. All the attention she had brought up died out when they realized nothing was happening, and the towns turned to tourist attractions to keep them coming back. We could have had two real united towns, but we have two completely different places now. I can't look at Bluebell and call that place my home."_

Lillian and Dirk both frowned at the screen, leaning back. "Principal Rutger…" she drifted off. "That sounds awful."

"It doesn't sound so bad to me," Dirk shrugged. "Things change. It seems stupid to hold on so much to the past."

Lillian turned a vicious glare towards him. Dirk was so caught off guard from the change in her usual demeanor he was left gaping at her. "Maybe you don't understand because you don't have something from the past you want to hold onto, but it makes perfect sense to me. When you really care about something and you get your hopes up for something good to happen to what you care about, seeing that all come crashing down and seeing what you once loved get turned into something you can't even _like_ anymore is awful."

He stared at her for a moment and then rolled his eyes. "Don't assume that just because I think he's being overdramatic I didn't care about anything in the past. It is hard to see something change, but change is a fact of life that needs to be accepted. You can complain about things not ending up the way you wanted them to, or you can change as well and deal with it. He's eighty something years old, it's about time he grows up."

"It's about time you grew up too, but it's not like that's going to happen anytime soon," Lillian snarled. Even she was surprised by her words.

Dirk folded his arms, narrowing his eyes at her. "And why do I need to grow up, Lillian? Because I'm not the little boy you knew and it makes you sad?"

"Because you're a jerk," she snapped, folding her arms as well. "You can act as grown up as you like, but you're still a child to me. Just a bratty one."

He jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over, and stormed from the room. Lillian knew she could use that as her argument, but knew that he deserved to leave like that – she had been cruel. She leaned against the desk, sighing. What had convinced her to be so harsh with him? She was hardly ever like that. _He's right_, she thought with a sigh. _It's because I'm upset that he's not the little boy I once knew. Because I can't handle that he can treat Ash and I so poorly, and that he can be so frustrating._ Hiro entered the room moments later, looking nervously at her. "Is everything alright? Dirk told us he was going to the store to pick something up and would be right back, but he looked…rather mad."

"I was rude to him," Lillian mumbled, folding her arms. "I was really mean."

Hiro smiled gently at her, sitting on the edge of Dirk's bed. "Dirk hasn't always been nice to you, has he?"

"Hmm?"

"He tells me a lot. He noted that he was rude to you on your first day, and that he goes out of his way to hurt your best friend's feelings. You continuously reach out to him despite those rebuffs though, correct?"

"…Yeah. I do."

"Then don't worry." He offered her an optimistic grin, patting her shoulder. "It'll be alright. Maybe the words were harsh, but sometimes when someone goes around acting like him, they need to be snapped at a little. Maybe it'll teach him not to be so harsh towards you, now that he knows how it feels."

Lillian smiled back, but she still felt guilt pierce at her. "I think I'm going to go try and catch up with him so I can apologize," she noted, rising to her feet. "But first…why is he mad at you?"

Hiro hesitated and then sighed. "He's upset with me because he believes I was the one who wanted that picture to hurt you. Go ahead, if you hurry you can meet up with him."

But Lillian hesitated anyways, looking guiltily at Hiro. If Ash had been caught in the same predicament as Reina, she would have instantly taken the fall for him. Seeing Hiro suffer by being ignored by his best friend made her feel awful for him. "I'll try to talk to him," she told him as reassuringly as she good. "But don't worry – I won't say anything about _that_. Thank you for talking to me, Hiro."

He smiled and bid her farewell, but she barely lingered to listen. She burst out the door without even replying to the Oracle's call and began to race down the entry path. She was stopped short, however, when she saw Dirk leaning against his garage. He looked up at her in shock, and she blanched, feeling foolish for rushing. "I…thought you had left to the store," she explained, looking away.

Dirk laughed, shaking his head. "No. I was acting as childish as possible, and pouted outside my own house."

Lillian sat down beside him nervously, worried that he was furious with her. "I…was out of line. You're right. I am upset that you're different. But it's not a bad thing…I just need to change too, like you said. I'm sorry."

"Don't," he mumbled, looking away. "Don't apologize, alright? _You _were right. I act like a child, jerking you back and forth and treating Ash as bad as I can. I'm the one who can't let go of the past."

Lillian watched him carefully, surprised at his words. She couldn't recall seeing Dirk so open and honest since she had been reunited with him. "Dirk…"

Without another word he turned, pulling her into a hug. Lillian's eyes flashed open, her hands still at her sides as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Don't," he whispered. "_I'm_ sorry."

So she didn't say anything, and she didn't do anything either. She stared, stunned, past him and allowed him to hold onto her, her mind shifting to Ash. _What would he say? _She wondered. _What would he _do_?_ But Ash was not there, she told himself, and so she stayed outside with Dirk as he shook, whispering once more, "I'm sorry."


	10. Do Your Best

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: This is the longest chapter yet, but it covers a very important event, so I'm sure you can all understand why, haha. You're in for the first club competition! I just wanted to note that for the cooking competition, I went off of recipes using the actual Tale of Two Towns recipe list, so if you're like wow that was simplified, that's because it was in the game hahaha. Thank you for reading and reviewing, it's awesome. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

"How was the thing yesterday?" Ash asked before school, sitting on the steps beside her. His arm was behind her, resting on the stone step to her left, and in his right hand was a bottle of milk she knew his mother forced him to take every morning.

Lillian looked away, shrugging. "We got some good information about Bluebell. An interview with Principal Rutger, who was pretty upset…I think I understand a little more about why he keeps the rivalry going with the school."

"Oh yeah?" Ash asked, raising his eyebrows curiously.

"I think he _wants _someone to try to bridge the gap between the rivalries, like Konohana and Bluebell the towns never could. I think he wants to really see the classes come together and realize that unity is better. I don't think he only has enough money to send one class. I think he's trying to propose an obstacle like his towns had – the tunnel between them, the desire to stand on their own two feet to support only their town. But…I don't know how to stop it. The rival clubs hate each other. Georgia would hate _me _if I told her this."

Ash smiled, tilting his head to the side. "School is just starting. We'll work on it together, alright? If you think this is the case, then I'll keep it in mind."

"You'd really be willing to work with Dirk?" she asked, smiling back at him.

"If it's what you want," he admitted, ruffling her hair as usual when he rose to his feet. "Come on, I'll walk you to homeroom."

Lillian took the hand he held out, laughing when he yanked her over-dramatically to her feet. He squeezed her hand for a moment as he smiled at her and then let it go, leading her back into the school. Her smile fell as she tacked on in her head, _Would you really, Ash?_

* * *

"You've seemed distracted all day," Cam noted when third block rolled around. "Did something happen yesterday?"

Lillian shook her head, but he just laughed. "Am I obvious?" she mumbled.

"I just think you're not trying as hard to cover it up with me as you would with Ash," he shrugged. "What's the matter?"

"I guess I'm just confused about what's going on," Lillian murmured, resting her head on her palm. Dirk had pulled away from her several moments later, refusing to look her in the eye as he offered her a hand to get up. She had tried to ask what was going through his head, but he had asked if they could focus on the project for the time being, and hadn't spoken much at all after that. Obviously Hiro and the Oracle knew something had happened, but even Lillian couldn't tell them what it was. _What am I supposed to say? _She wondered. _He actually apologized and then acted as though nothing had happened?_

Cam mimicked her position with a gentle smile, sketching flowers across his notepad without even looking at them. "Does it have to do with Dirk?"

Lillian smiled, unsurprised by his perceptiveness. "Mhm. He's been acting strange recently-"

"I know a bit about that. Ash told me," he interrupted, his knowledge also not coming as a surprise. "What did he do yesterday?"

Lillian hesitated, wondering if this information would be passed onto Ash as well. She settled with, "The same. Saying one thing and then saying the opposite a moment later and leaving me wondering what he wants me to do. But it doesn't matter." Another thought had risen to her mind that pushed this out as she focused on Cam's drawing. She was still curious about Reina, though it seemed that situation had passed. To ask about _her_, she needed to ask something else. "I had a question for you that I forgot about until now."

Cam clearly thought she was trying to change the topic, but humored her. "What is it?"

"When you and Laney found that photograph in Ash's locker…what were you doing at Ash's locker? I'm trying to figure out as much as possible about this as I can…or it'll bother me."

She had obviously chosen the appropriate words, for Cam didn't doubt her. She knew that she came across as constantly curious to her friends, who were forced to answer frequent, random questions. Posing this as another curiosity was her best chance at getting it answered properly. Cam hesitated, peering at his drawing, and then answered, "He asked me to fetch something for him at the end of lunch, since he needed it for the club block but wanted to hurry over and help Georgia, or else she tries to set everything up by herself. My fifth block is close to his locker, so right before I headed in Laney and I went to get his notebook, and the picture was right inside. I asked her to check it out with you since I had to go give Ash his notebook as soon as club officers were allowed to leave."

Lillian silently ran over this in her head, struggling to find something in it that seemed strange. All in all, however, it came off as merely a coincidence. The photograph was in the locker, and Cam just happened to get to Ash's locker first. "I see," she murmured, tapping her fingers absentmindedly across the desk's surface. _I need to talk to Hiro_, she decided. _I can try and see if, now that some time has passed, he'd be more willing to explain things to me_. The brunette had to admit that it was in this situation that her intense curiosity came full swing – she was doing her best not to be angry with Reina, but felt like she _needed _to know why she had done that. _It involves my friends_, she told herself. _I need to know._

"Did you find something out about it?" Cam asked, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Nope!" Lillian answered cheerfully, shaking her head. "But I'm going to do my best."

* * *

It didn't take long after lunch started for Lillian and her friends to see that Georgia was not in the best mood. She was glaring down at her notebook today, rapidly winding and unwinding her hair around her finger. It was Laney who ventured to ask, "Is everything alright?"

"No!" Georgia snapped instantly. "I had to work with that idiot Kana yesterday and he…ugh, I don't even want to talk about it. He was acting ridiculous. He got himself detention just so he could…ugh, forget it."

The question Lillian prepared to pose was silent as Ash clapped his hand over her mouth, gesturing for her to follow him as he rose from his seat and headed towards the hall. Her friends were too focused on comforting Georgia to think anything strange of their exit; he towed her along by her hand, pulling her past the Oracle's table in a way she knew she would be teased for later. When they were in the hallway, far from Georgia's ears, he murmured, "It'd be best not to ask Georgia too much about Kana. It's a good way to make her mad at you."

"Why?" Lillian argued, frowning. "Kana is a nice guy."

Ash hesitated, shrugging his shoulders. "He can be. He teased Georgia a lot, though, and then he went and confessed to her in front of the entire school back in sophomore year. It should have been him who was embarrassed, but she was humiliated. She thought he was teasing her some more, and everyone was laughing and…it was really awkward all around. She shot him down in the harshest way possible and he can't even look her in the eye anymore. Obviously she knows now that he was being sincere, but she got teased even more for his confession and he's never reached out to try and explain himself…so, as you can imagine, Georgia isn't the biggest Kana fan."

Lillian's eyes were wide as she gaped at Ash. "Kana asks me about Georgia whenever he gets the chance! I knew there was something strange about him getting detention yesterday. He really does still like her!"

"I don't know how much good it'll do for him," Ash mumbled, shrugging. "Georgia has never seemed particularly interested in him. She's told us over and over that she has a crush on someone, but assures us it's not him. I don't have a clue who she's into."

The brunette frowned, leaning against the lockers beside her friend. "Kana really seems to like her. He's worried about her. I wonder why he hasn't tried apologizing…"

"It's embarrassing, probably," Ash answered with a shrug. "He's a popular guy. I can't see him being able to accept his public embarrassment. He probably feels guilty now and thinks it'd be best if he stayed out of the way. I don't dislike him, but I think it's hard to understand him. He's nice enough, but he's got a lot of different layers. Don't worry about it, though. It's their own thing."

He ruffled her hair as he always did, but Lillian didn't shove him away this time. She knew there was a lot about Georgia she didn't know, but she had never realized how prone she was to holding a grudge. _But she's like this with the buzzers too_, she realized. _She takes the club seriously and puts aside her personal problems like Kana. She can be kind one moment, but when she's focused she's harsh and pushes people. _"I don't really understand Georgia," she admitted softly. "I don't know much about her at all."

"She's not as easy to befriend as Cam or Laney, but don't worry. It's not like she dislikes you or anything. As long as you keep working hard for the club, she'll probably like you more and more. Right now I don't know if there's anything she cares about more than the stupid thing." He kicked out at one of the lockers gently, sighing. Lillian started to ask him what was wrong, but he shook his head. "Forget about it! Let's go back inside!" He grinned and pushed her ahead of him, refusing to answer any further questions. Lillian let the subject slide away, smiling back at him. Sooner or later, she would find out.

* * *

Dirk and the Oracle were wrapped in discussion with Kana when Lillian walked in. She noted that the boy she now knew to be definitely attracted to Georgia looked highly uncomfortable, and was incredibly relieved when he saw her. "Hey!" he called out, waving the moment she entered the classroom. "We have a substitute today and we get to get into groups of four!"

It was an innocent statement, but his eyes were pleading with her to hurry and end his interrogation. She stepped between Dirk and the Oracle and plopped into her seat beside Kana with a grin. "Sounds good," she told him. "It was too bad you didn't get to come yesterday."

"Thanks," he murmured, relaxing. "Hiro took some good notes for me. Did you two find out anything interesting?"

"We found an interview with Principal Rutger about why Bluebell and Konohana became tourist attractions," Lillian noted, smiling as she thought of Ash's earlier statements. "It really made me think…"

"About what?" the Oracle piped up. Her eyes darted towards Dirk, but Lillian shook her head.

"It just made me understand Principal Rutger's motives a bit more. I explained it to Ash earlier, but I really don't know how to explain it again." She laughed and shrugged, but knew that was a lie. She wasn't sure how _they _would react if she told them she thought the club situation had intentions other than intense competition. Only Ash, she believed, would be so supportive.

The Oracle huffed. "Well, you tell your boyfriend everything but not the dear friend who made you cupcakes."

"I'm sorry," Lillian laughed. "The cupcakes were nice though."

"It's not as fun to tease you about Ash anymore," the Oracle grinned, winking. "You don't get so embarrassed anymore. You two were in an interesting spot at lunch. You're definitely familiar with each other."

Lillian felt her cheeks heating up and shrugged, murmuring, "Well, I've known him my whole life, and even when I moved he went out of his way to make sure we stayed close. He even saved up to come visit me a few times. So he's the person I know the best here. I know him more than anyone else, and he knows me more than anyone else. So we're just…comfortable around each other."

The Oracle clapped her hands together excitedly, beaming. "Go out!"

"That was to the point," Dirk mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Let's just get started on the group thing, alright?"

Lillian and Dirk spun their desks to face Kana and the Oracle, who did the same. The boy opposite her did not look particularly pleased to be even closer to the Oracle, who had clearly been grilling him earlier, but Lillian suspected he was merely displeased in general. She didn't bother asking him what was on his mind – as much as she liked the Oracle, she didn't want to give her a chance to tease him. "What are we supposed to do?" she asked him, hoping to pull the spotlight off.

"Just work on our project. Basically nothing," Kana shrugged, grinning gratefully at her.

Lillian sighed, unsure what to say beyond that. Being around Dirk left her feeling awkward, and she couldn't properly converse with Kana when there was someone around just waiting to get a hold of new information. Finally she murmured, "The club competition is tomorrow, isn't it?"

"That's right!" The Oracle exclaimed cheerfully. "It's going to be pretty interesting. Dirk against Ash, you against Hiro, Reina against Laney…eh, Cam against Nori and me against Georgia isn't as interesting. Have you been preparing, Lillian?"

"Not really," she admitted, sighing once more. She wasn't a terrible cook, but she clearly wasn't up to Laney's standards either. Whether or not she would be able to win against Hiro was a mystery. "I hope things work out," she tacked on.

"You're the only one in this group pulling for Bluebell," Kana pointed out with a grin. "But, good luck. I hope you guys do good, so do your best!"

_He really is a nice guy_, Lillian smiled, nodding. "Thanks, Kana. You two do your best too."

"We will," the Oracle grinned. "I don't see either of us losing this one. We've got something to prove."

"Speak for yourself," Dirk argued, his voice bitter.

The Oracle rolled her eyes, surprising Lillian. "Let's not bother pretending that you don't want to win against Ash, Dirk. Are you trying to spare Lillian's feelings?"

He narrowed his eyes at the girl across from him, and Lillian and Kana exchanged a frown. Dirk and the Oracle clearly didn't always see eye to eye, but they had never so clearly argued before. Lillian had witnessed the entire thing and couldn't even say she was sure what the point of the fight was. "It doesn't matter," she interrupted Dirk, pulling her notebook from her bag. "Let's go over everything for our project so far, alright?"

The four leaned together to look at Lillian's notes, but there was clearly still an animosity lingering in the group. _Forget about it for now_, Lillian told herself. _You have too much to worry about within your own club to worry about those two._

* * *

During lunch on Friday the club officers – along with Mikhail – grouped together, silently staring at a paper Georgia had placed between them. "Lillian, you're close to some of the Konohana members," he began, gesturing to the worksheet. "So, fill this in for us."

Lillian exchanged a look with Ash, who offered an encouraging smile, and took the pencil Georgia offered her. It was a list of the match ups to expect in the cooking competition, with the only certain names being Ash vs. Dirk and Lillian vs. Hiro. Lillian glanced at Cam after writing in Cam vs. Nori, and he visibly paled. "Damn it," he murmured. "That's a definite loss."

She turned to Laney, watching Cam's expression from the corner of her eye as well, and wrote in Laney vs. Reina. Their eyes widened and they glanced sideways at each other, surprising Lillian. _Laney said she didn't know much about Cam's relationship with Reina, but it seems like she knows _something_, _she noted. "I can win," Laney told them reassuringly. "Reina isn't a very good cook. So don't worry, I can pull that one off. That's it then?"

"No," Lillian admitted, wincing. She met Georgia's eyes as she wrote Georgia vs. the Oracle and watched the girl gape. "I'm in a project with them, and when I went over to, er, one of their house's, the Oracle made cupcakes. They were _really _good. She told me she was sergeant at arms and looks forward to competing."

"It's a loss," Georgia groaned. "I'm a terrible cook. Lillian, how good are you?"

Lillian sighed and shrugged. "About average, honestly."

The redhead patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. Hiro isn't a fantastic cook or anything. We've eaten his cafeteria food for four years. What Hiro _is _good at is closely following directions and having really impressive concentration. He'll definitely grab a recipe and then follow it to a T. As long as you pick a recipe _better _than his and follow the directions perfectly, you can win. As for Ash and Dirk…I have no clue who will win that one. Dirk is a total mystery. Was he good at cooking when you two were kids?"

Ash stared at his feet and then mumbled, "Yeah. He used to want to open his own restaurant."

_I didn't know that_, Lillian realized, her eyes widening. Ash didn't look at her – surprisingly enough, it was Georgia who offered a reassuring grin. "Don't worry," she told her. "I'll do my best and so will you guys. Luckily we have such a great fundraiser planned out tomorrow that even if we lose, we'll have a lot of fun afterwards. Alright? Don't look so down everyone! This is only the first competition. Let's do our best!"

Laney grinned, nodding. "That's impressive," she murmured, looking excitedly around the table. Even Ash smiled a little. Georgia got up, heading towards the trash can with her lunch bag balled up in her fist, and Lillian hurried after her.

"That was really nice of you," she murmured. "I know how important this club is to you and…I think it's nice that you made everyone feel better."

Georgia hesitated and then shrugged, grinning. "Winning is a big deal to me. But so are you all. Don't quote me on that, it's a little embarrassing." She clapped her friend on the shoulder once more, chuckling. "Just do your best today."

She hurried off after that, crouching down beside Ash as she hurriedly coached him on what recipe he was going to pick. He looked highly uncomfortable, but Lillian didn't see a way to extricate him from that. _This is a big deal to him, after all, _she noted with a grimace. _He needs the help_. It was Laney who caught her attention next, edging away from Cam and Mikhail to sit at the edge of the table, her face pale. Lillian slid into the chair beside her, murmuring, "Your win is a sure thing, huh?"

"Supposedly," she replied, her voice soft and nervous. "I know that Reina isn't a great cook, and I am. But…it's nerve-wracking, competing against her. Reina and I haven't spoken in years. We used to talk occasionally…"

"Because she and Cam were close?"

"No," Laney answered instantly, her voice firm. "Nori and I used to be closer friends, and since she and Reina are best friends, we spoke sometimes. That's why. Facing her again after all this time…it's going to be strange."

"Why did you and Nori stop hanging out?" Lillian blurted out before she could stop herself. She knew it was slightly tactless, to press her curiosity when Laney was clearly worried, but couldn't help it. The more she learned about Konohana's club members, the more perplexed she found herself. Still, guilt pierced at her for the statement and she hastily tacked on, "You don't have to tell me, I'm sorry. I should have said-"

"She's definitely Konohana through and through," Laney interrupted, smiling at her friend. "That's all. Don't worry so much about asking me too much. It's just that I stuck with Georgia and she stuck with her friends. It's not that _we _were rivals so much as our friends were, and it's hard to be friends with someone your friend is against. I'm sure you have to deal with that all the time, being friends with Dirk, Kana, Hiro, the Oracle – all the Konohana kids, basically. It's tough."

Lillian hesitated, surprised by the answer. Finally, however, she nodded. "Yeah…it is hard…I understand."

"Do your best today," Laney told her, kindly shifting the conversation. "Usually one on one competitions go from lowest club position to highest, so Ash and Dirk's will be the grand finale, and probably the deciding vote if you can beat Hiro. So keep in mind that Ash will be watching you so…give him something to be confident about. I'll do the same for you and Cam."

"I'll cheer you on," Lillian grinned. Going off of Georgia's advice, Lillian was hopeful in regards to pulling out a win, but as for Ash…she chanced a look at his anxious face and frowned. To Ash, the competition was a lot more than just some club thing. _You do your best too_, she thought, smiling at him when he looked at her. _But it won't change how I see you, no matter what._

* * *

"Is everyone ready?" Principal Rutger's voice boomed out from the microphone he didn't properly know how to use. As static filled the auditorium, Principal Ina snatched it away and ended the white noise, rolling her eyes. The students groaned in unison and cheered when she stopped it, and Lillian noted that the Bluebell advisor didn't look very pleased.

"This is the first club competition of the school year," Ina called out, wearing a bright grin. "But it's definitely not the last. As many clubs are still getting put together, this week's competition will be a cooking contest based on individual talents – president against president, secretary against secretary, etc. We pulled in a group of teachers who will taste the dishes – not knowing which is associated with which club – and decide the victor. As there are apparently five different contests – if we're including this 'sergeant at arms' position – whoever wins three or more competitions will be the ultimate victor."

Principal Rutger held his hand out for the microphone, and Ina begrudgingly handed it over. "Please keep in mind," he started, wearing a stern expression, "that this is a friendly competition. Nothing to get heated over! As Principal Ina noted, it is only the first of the year. We'll also be announcing how many points were deducted by the buzzer privately to the club officers after the competition, and the official score will be posted on Monday for everyone to see. That score doesn't mean much at _all _when you take into consideration the stretch of competitions before us. So, have fun!"

"I second that!" Principal Ina noted, leaning in close to Rutger to speak into the microphone. The elderly man made a face, jabbing the microphone towards her. "Everyone, good luck!"

Lillian stood beside the Oracle, who had walked with her to the auditorium, and allowed the girl to drag her by hand through the bored crowd towards the cooking tables. "I'm up first," she told her as she hurried along, slipping between students even if they left only the tightest space between them. "I'm really nervous. I've never competed like this before!"

"Do your best," Lillian murmured, unsure what else to say. "Do your best" was a common phrase thrown around in the school, and it was all she could say to Georgia's opponent. In truth, she wanted her Bluebell friend to win, but knew it was unlikely. She had tried one of Georgia's practice meals during lunch and knew it wasn't anything to be excited about. The contest was already in the Oracle's favor.

"You don't want me to win," the Oracle noted suddenly, spinning around with eyes that looked more pained than Lillian had expected.

"No, it's not that!" she protested. "I…it's not that I don't want you to win…it's just that…well, you're going up against my friend, so I don't want to pick a side. I want both of you to try your hardest."

The Oracle watched her curiously for a moment before smiling, gently flicking Lillian in the forehead. At the brunette's exclamation, she laughed and said, "Dirk always does it, so I wanted to try too. You wear such a nervous expression all the time, it's hard not to tease you. Cheer for your friend, Lillian. It's okay."  
With that, the girl spun on her heel, heading towards Dirk. Lillian hesitated, frowning, and then called out, "Good luck!"

She could feel Georgia's eyes on her, but the Oracle turned around with a soft smile that let her know she had done the right thing. Her friend had already made it clear that she hated school, and she knew how hard it must be for her to go before everyone who usually treated her so poorly and compete on their behalf. The last thing Lillian wanted was for her to think even her own friend was against her. "Thank you. Good luck to you too," she replied, grinning when she turned and bounded towards Dirk, who was smiling as well.

Georgia wasn't smiling, however, when Lillian walked up to her, but didn't scold her either. "You don't have to apologize," she told Lillian firmly. "Talk to Ash. He's nervous."

"Good luck, Georgia," Lillian murmured, offering the redhead a smile.

Georgia glanced at the brunette and laughed, shaking her head. "I already know you want me to win. You don't have to try and make sure I remember. Give it your all, though. Don't throw it to your friends!"

"I won't!" Lillian argued quickly, and then laughed when she realized that Georgia was teasing. The redhead winked and pushed her towards Ash, who was sitting in the front row of the audience, watching Principal Rutger and Ina begin to speak with the Oracle and Georgia.

"I'm nervous," he murmured, scooting over so that Lillian could share his seat. "I don't want it to come down to me and him being the ultimate decision. I don't want to lose to him in front of everyone. I'm not a good cook, Lillian."

She glanced nervously at him, feeling his anxiety fill her as well. She couldn't recall ever before seeing Ash so shaken. "It's going to be okay," she answered gently, putting her hand comfortingly on his arm. "We're all going to do our best to try and make sure it doesn't come down to that."

Ash put his hand on top of hers, squeezing it. Lillian felt her cheeks heat up, but knew that Ash was simply frightened. His hand was shaking with nerves she hadn't expected to come from him. "He's been waiting for this chance for a long time, Lil. For an opportunity to publicly embarrass me. If I lose to him…I'll hate it. After everything he's done to me…" The hand he was holding hers with clenched into a fist, locking her hand in its grip. "He looks so smug."

Lillian looked up and met Dirk's eyes. He did, in fact, look rather arrogant. She averted her eyes instantly, leaning closer to Ash. "I think you can do it."

"Say something more comforting than that," he told her, his attempt at laughter falling flat.

"You'll always be a winner in my eyes," Lillian noted, grinning when he looked at her.

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "That's too ridiculous," he told her. Still, he was wearing a smile when he looked back out towards the crowd. "Let's cross our fingers, then. There's not much else we can do."

Two makeshift kitchens facing each other had been set up – something Hiro had confided in Lillian was a painstaking process. The recipes had to be fairly simple, with the lack of electrical equipment severely limiting the options. Laney had attempted to coach Georgia on how to make an intricate salad that would wow the judges, but judging from the confused way the redhead was looking around the kitchen, Lillian could tell nothing had stuck in her head. The Oracle was calmly examining it, perusing the recipe book that had been laid out before her. The principals stood at the head of the kitchens, exchanging a look and nodding decisively. Principal Ina lifted the microphone to her lips, shouting, "Let the first club competition begin!"

Principal Rutger's shrill whistle sounded the beginning of the allotted ten minutes, and Ash and Lillian watched nervously as Georgia hurriedly thumbed through the recipe book. Beside Lillian, Laney had her hands over her mouth, clearly scared for her friend. Cam's hardened expression was unreadable, and Mikhail was grimacing. _This already isn't going good_, Lillian fretted as the Oracle began to calmly cut up a cucumber and Georgia continued to tear through the recipe book.

When the ten minutes were up, the Oracle passed a gorgeous mimosa salad to Principal Ina and Georgia reluctantly handed Principal Rutger a basic and rather ugly turnip salad. Even he looked disgruntled at the messy dish before him. Georgia retreated to her friends, sitting down beside Mikhail and instantly putting her face in her hands. The Oracle looked guiltily over towards the group, catching Lillian's eyes. She mouthed sorry, but Lillian replied with a silent _good job_ that left the girl beaming as she returned to her seat beside Dirk. Unsurprisingly, the principals returned to announce a win for Konohana, and Laney and Reina took their spots at the kitchens.

Reina glanced over, catching Lillian's eye for a moment. Her grip instinctively tightened on Ash's hand, and he looked at her in surprise. Reina's gaze had not lingered on her, however, and instead trailed towards Cam before she reached out and shook Laney's trembling hand. Cam had moved over to sit beside Lillian, leaning forward and resting an anxious face on his hands. Lillian glanced at him, surprised to see him so worked up, and then jumped when he shouted, "You can do it, Laney!"

The blonde looked over at him instantly, stunned, and then her panicked expression relaxed into a smile. "Thank you," she replied, turning calmly towards the kitchen. She smiled at Reina, who was being cheered for by Nori, and then to the principals.

It was a clear win for Laney from the beginning. Reina was obviously struggling, but Laney was able to easily whip up a fantastic dessert – fruit shiratama – that glowed in comparison to the measly asazuke Reina handed in. Laney plopped into a seat beside Georgia, who instantly hugged her, and winked at Cam as he got up. "She did good," Lillian whispered to Ash. "That was really impressive."

"Do your best, Cam!" Ash called out after nodding in agreement. Lillian and Laney echoed the sentiments, though Georgia looked too frustrated to do anything but cling to Laney's arm in gratitude. Cam smiled back at them, but Lillian felt that she knew him well enough to know that relaxed smile was hiding his nerves. His hands hung at his side, shaking slightly as he approached Nori. They shook hands and politely greeted each other, but once again the winner of the contest was clear from the start. Cam was able to assemble an appealing cucumber namul from his time with Laney, but Nori was able to put together a fruit shiratama of her own that clearly rivaled Laney's. He accepted his defeat calmly and sat beside Lillian again, setting his hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I couldn't pull out a win for you. It's up to you."

Lillian felt the panic strike her as she rose to her feet. "Thanks," she choked out, offering up a smile. "You did your best."

"Hey," Ash murmured, rising with her, still holding onto her hand. "It's okay if you don't win. I think you are fully capable of it, but even if Hiro ends up winning…you'll always be a winner in my eyes."

He finished with a teasing grin, but Lillian was grateful for his words. She laughed and pushed him back into his seat as she approached the counter, Hiro meeting her as well. "I'm nervous," he told her when they met. "How are you feeling?"

"Sick," Lillian admitted, shaking his hand. "Good luck, Hiro."

"You too," he replied.

"Lillian!" a voice cried. Lillian looked instantly towards the Bluebell group, but they were all staring, wide eyed, in the opposite direction. She turned, meeting the Oracle's eyes with shock. She was rising her hands above her head to ensure her friend knew it was her, and she winked when they made eye contact. "You do your best too, okay?"

Hiro grinned when Lillian looked at him, and she looked back to the Oracle with a smile. "Thanks!" she called back, laughing. Leave it the Oracle to pretend there were no club boundaries. The principals were surprised, and many of the Konohana members were shaking their heads, but Dirk smiled when she looked at him and offered up a teasing thumbs up. She turned back to the kitchen and told Hiro, "I said I wouldn't lose, right?"

"You did say that," he replied.

"Then I don't intend to," she finished, grinning. He just smiled back at her, nodding his head as Principal Rutger's whistle drowned out the cheers of the crowd.

Lillian instantly turned her sights to a mixed salad, as Laney had suggested. _It's a complex recipe, but if you follow it closely, along with throwing in the extra ingredients, you can win_. She slid her finger down the index and turned to the correct page so rapidly she accidentally tore the page. She murmured an apology to Principal Rutger, who just laughed and ushered her onwards, and then reached for the knife and the basket of vegetables.

The ten minutes seemed to drip by agonizingly fast. Every second she spent ensuring she was on the correct track was a second wasted, every misshapen cut she made into a vegetable seemed to be an incredible mistake, and as she began to assemble the ingredients in a bowl she felt like she had done everything wrong. _Calm down_, she told herself, taking a deep breath. A glance over her shoulder ensured that Ash was watching closely, and she remembered Georgia's words. _Do your best so he has a chance against Dirk_, she told herself. _Do your best. Do your best. Do your best._

"I'm done," she whispered, raising her mixed salad and extending it towards Principal Rutger. She knew she had done well as soon as the dish was handed over, for Laney's cheering scream rose above the sounds of the crowd. Hiro took another moment to finish his daikon salad before passing it to Principal Ina, and the two hurriedly took them back towards the teachers, who were in the other room waiting to taste.

"Yours looked good," Hiro told her.

"Yours too."

He grinned, shaking his head. "You're really too kind, Lillian. You should know when you've won. Being so oblivious doesn't suit you."

"Hmm?" Her eyes widened in surprise, but Hiro just laughed even more.

"Don't look at me with such a shocked face. You really did give it your all." He held his hand out to her, smiling. "Thanks for treating me normally after all of this, Lillian."

She gave her hand to him, shaking his. "Thank you too, Hiro. You really helped me out. I wouldn't have made it this far without my entire club hating me if it wasn't for you."

The principals returned, and both of them turned anxiously to hear the results. There was silence for a moment, everyone waiting for this important decision, waiting to see if Bluebell was still in the game. Finally Principal Rutger lifted the microphone and called out, "A win for Bluebell! The battle between club presidents is the deciding factor!"

Lillian staggered forward as she felt arms wrap around her, and she looked over her shoulder at Ash in surprise. "You did fantastic!" he told her, beaming. "That was really impressive."

"You totally lied when you said you weren't a good cook," Georgia murmured, standing before her with a smile. She hesitated and then pulled Lillian from Ash's embrace, hugging her herself. "Thank you, Lillian. You really made up for my loss. I appreciate it."

"Congratulations!" Hiro told her, waving as he returned to his seat. Lillian waved after him, and then paled as Dirk took the boy's spot.

They met each others eyes, holding contact for a moment. "Stop celebrating," he finally told her, rolling his eyes teasingly. "You'd think you'd run a marathon."

"You ruin happy moments," the Oracle noted, clapping her hand hard on the boy's back. "We get a five minute recess to discuss anyways. Keep your head in the game! Oh, and good job, Lillian, Laney. Good luck to you too, Ash."

Lillian looked over at Laney in surprise, having not noticed that she and Cam had joined them. Ash thanked the girl when Lillian did, and then the group huddled together, looking nervously around. "Dirk already has his recipe picked out," Laney whispered. "I saw what it was just now. He's going to try and make sashimi. Ash…you have to do your best with the most complicated salad you can put together. Lillian did good with a seasoned one. Try something like that. It has to be something good to compete with an actual meal, when the judges are going to be so blown away by it. He's…really going all out on this."

Lillian straightened up, looking at Dirk. His arms were folded over his chest, looking bored. "What?" he asked, gesturing for her to come closer. "Your team is going to get angry, you know, if you pay so much attention to me."

"I wasn't paying so much attention to you," Lillian protested, making a face. "You really are confusing."

"Why?" the Oracle asked curiously.

"Because he changes his attitude so much," the brunette answered begrudgingly. "Well, do your best."

"Don't say things you don't mean."

"Well, do your worst."

"That's not very nice at all. I think I bring out the worst in you," Dirk shrugged.

Ash's hands landed on Lillian's shoulder, and she looked at him in surprise. "Don't fraternize with the enemy too much," he teased. "Wait until after the competition or Georgia will hate you."

"Sorry," she murmured, blanching at his closeness. "Have you picked out a recipe?"

He spun Lillian around to face him, fussing with her hair. "Laney picked one for me. So go sit down and relax. It's going to be okay. Thanks for pulling through for me. I'll make sure I give it my all for you, alright?"

Lillian smiled up at him as she smoothed her hair down. "Don't stress yourself."

"Sure, sure," he sighed, pushing her away. "You've already done your part. It's my turn now."

Lillian sat down beside Mikhail, mirroring his worried pose as she watched the Oracle struggle to maintain a conversation with two unwilling partners. Dirk and Ash glared at each other, not bothering to shake hands like the other opponents had. "I'm worried about him," she admitted to her friend. "This is a big deal for him. If he doesn't win…I think he's going to be really upset." She leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees and her head on her hands, holding her breath as the others took their seats before them and Principal Rutger raised his whistle.

"Don't worry," Mikhail answered, turning to offer her a gentle smile. "Ash is going to do his best to win for our sake. If he doesn't manage to win, then we'll just have to make sure he knows it doesn't change anything to us. We've still got a fair to put on tomorrow. Nothing changes. You know…there's something that could help us, points wise, even if he doesn't win."

Principal Rutger's whistle cut through the conversations around them, and Dirk instantly set to work. Ash was quick to follow, but his clumsy movements were clearly a fault when juxtaposed with Dirk's swift, purposeful actions. "What's that?" Lillian asked, trying to suspend the hopefulness in her voice. She wanted to support Ash as much as possible, but it was hard to do so when he was so obviously struggling.

"If one of the buzzers found out about Dirk and the Oracle helping you, then they'll dock points from their club. You give points based on club loyalty. But…if one of the buzzers is someone on _our _team who knows about you working with them to raise the money…they'll dock us points too." Mikhail sighed, clapping softly for Ash. "Let's just hope for the best, shall we? No matter what."

Lillian nodded in agreement, but any words she was prepared to say died out. A voice cut across the loudness of the auditorium, and "Dirk!" echoed throughout it. The Konohana president looked over, stunned, to see the Oracle on her feet, hands clenched into fists at her side. He raised his eyebrows questioningly, and she hesitated before crying out, "It's your chance too! You'll regret it if you hold back! So give it your all!"

The Bluebell group grew silent, stunned by this incredible declaration. Only Georgia murmured, "She really went all out." Dirk stared at her for a moment longer before laughing, nodding. "I already knew that!" he called back, but when he turned back to his station he resumed cooking with a fervor that put Ash's meager skills to shame.

"Lillian!" Cam whispered, leaning around Laney to catch her eyes. "You call out to Ash too!"

"Like that?" she asked, heat rising to her cheeks. The Oracle had been brave in so loudly proclaiming support for Dirk, but Lillian found doing the same for Ash more than a little embarrassing – especially considering how everyone would take it.

Laney nodded eagerly, pushing Lillian to her feet. "It'll mean a lot to him!"

Lillian looked out towards the kitchen, but it was Dirk who looked at her, eyes wide. She put her hands over her mouth and shifted her gaze to Ash's turned back, shouting, "Don't forget what I said, Ash! Win or lose, it doesn't matter! It doesn't change anything! Just do your best!"

The Bluebell president looked over his shoulder, wearing a shocked – but tender – smile. He nodded, inclining his head towards her for a moment, and turned back to his kitchen without a single word. Lillian gaped as his movements grew more precise and careful, his knife moving rapidly across a vegetable. "He's going for daikon salad," Laney told her, squeezing the brunette's arm excitedly. "He's doing good! And Dirk is starting to mess up a little!"

Lillian looked at Dirk, who seemed to be even more affected by her profession. He was stumbling in his movements, knocking a dish to the floor. The Oracle was gritting her teeth on the Konohana side, her hands wrapped together. Hiro seemed nervous as well, speedily tapping his fingers against his knee. _I didn't want him to mess up_, Lillian thought, her mind wandering to his strange actions. She thought of the way he had hugged her and apologized to her, of the way he had caught her arm in the hall and attempted to apologize. He looked up, meeting her eyes over Ash's shoulder, and she mouthed _Good luck_.

She wasn't sure what had prompted her to do it. She _definitely _wanted Ash to win. She couldn't recall ever wanting something more. But to think that Dirk was being hindered due to her outburst…she didn't want Dirk to win, but she found that she didn't necessarily want him to lose, either. He smiled at her and then returned to his sashimi, his knife cutting carefully through the fish he had pulled from the ingredients rack. He and Ash continued to work as the ten minutes sped by, their movements fast and accurate, the upper hand constantly shifting from one to the other. When their dishes were handed off, Lillian really wasn't sure who the winner would be.

"You can go ahead and stand with him. The Oracle is waiting with Dirk," Cam told her, gesturing towards Ash, who was staring at the counter, his eyes wide and panicked. Lillian nodded and instantly rose to her feet, crossing the short distance between them to stand beside him.

"I don't know if I did enough to win," he admitted softly. "I…I…"

"We have a winner!" Principal Ina roared. Her excitement left a hollow feeling in Lillian's stomach, and Rutger's grimace added to it. Ash's shoulders began to slump as the woman announced, "Konohana is the winner of the first club competition!"

Konohana's side of the room boomed with cheers, and the Oracle began to jump up and down excitedly as Dirk breathed out a sigh of relief. Hiro, Nori and Reina jumped up to congratulate their president, but the Bluebell club officers remained seated. They all watched Ash nervously, sympathetic expressions on their faces. Cam and Georgia in particular looked guilty and miserable.

"I lost," Ash mumbled, covering his face. "How uncool. Even after you went through so much – doing your very best to give me this chance, cheering me on so much. Sorry, Lillian. I let you down."

"Ash…" Lillian began, clutching the fabric of his shirt with a concerned expression. It was impossible to gauge how exactly he was feeling while he hid his face, but she had a rather good estimate of it.

The Oracle leaned across the kitchens, offering up a genuine smile. "You two both did incredible. I'm sorry it turned out like this."

"Thanks," Lillian murmured, weakly returning the smile. "You too."

"Thanks," Ash echoed, removing his hand from his face to smile at her. It was a half-hearted attempt that didn't do much to alleviate his crestfallen expression.

"Too bad," Dirk noted, his expression hard and gloating. "Better luck next time."

Ash glared at him, his eyes narrowed. Lillian caught his hand, giving it a shake to detract his attention. "Ignore him," Lillian told him, shooting her own dark look towards Dirk. "He's just acting like a child."

Dirk looked visibly stricken, which surprised Ash. He looked between the pair suspiciously, and the Oracle looked just as surprised. "Let's go, Dirk," she murmured when she saw his expression, tugging him away.

"What's your problem?" Dirk hissed, shaking himself free of the Oracle's grasp. "That was cruel."

"_You_ were cruel," Lillian retorted hotly. Her grip on Ash's hand tightened as she faced him, and she felt the eyes of the other Bluebell officers on her. The Oracle and Hiro were watching her, stunned. "You couldn't at least be kind and mature enough to say something like 'good game?' You had to brag? You're…"

"That's enough," Ash interrupted, clapping his hand over her mouth. "Good game, guys! Let's go, Lil."

Dirk glared after her as Ash towed her away, slipping through the crowd and towards the auditorium's exit. Lillian fought to get his hand from her mouth, but he didn't remove his hold until they were a safe distance from the auditorium. "You shouldn't have stopped me! He was doing the same thing as before, being such a jerk-"

"What's going on with you and him?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow. "I know you tell me stuff about you two but…that seemed like an interesting argument. He said that what you said…was cruel. It seemed like something sort of weird to say, considering all you did was call him immature."

Lillian hesitated, looking away. "We got into an argument the last time I went to work on the project. I said he was always acting childishly. It was…it was mean of me to bring that back up again after he apologized and tried to distance himself from it. That's all."

Ash was silent for a moment before sighing, leaning back against the wall. "You two are pretty close, aren't you?"

"Huh? I just fought with him, didn't I? We've fought a lot lately," Lillian noted, leaning beside him.

"I think being able to say something that hurts someone so much is being close in another way," Ash mumbled. Lillian raised an eyebrow, shrugging in confusion. "Forget it," he murmured, laughing weakly. "I'm not making any sense, am I? I just feel lame right now. This is a lot to take in."

He slid down onto the tiled floor, putting his head in his hands. "Ash…" Lillian murmured sympathetically, crouching before him. She pulled his hand away and froze when she saw a single teardrop strike the floor.

Ash refused to look up and meet her eyes, but didn't deny that he was crying. "I feel awful," he admitted. "You were all counting on me. Everyone looked so disappointed when I lost. You all did your best – especially you – just to give me that chance. You all believed in me and I let you down. I let the entire club down. Being president…it's really not easy. I hate it."

Lillian watched him for a moment and then set her arm around him, pulling him towards her until his head was on her shoulder. He stiffened up, but relaxed when several more moments passed. "You're not a bad president or anything, Ash," Lillian replied softly, smiling as his hair brushed against her cheek. "You did your best. That's all anyone could ask for. I was impressed. For saying you were a mediocre cook, that was a really great dish you turned in. Next time we'll definitely beat Dirk and the rest of his team. So…forget about today and don't be upset. I know you feel like you let everyone down, but that's not a feeling only you have. Georgia and Cam, and even Laney and I…we all feel bad that we either didn't win or we didn't help others or we didn't cheer each other on. So rely on us and we'll rely on you for the next competition, alright?"

Silence brewed between them, and Ash finally laughed. "Am I still a winner in your eyes?" he asked, raising his head to smile at her. The tears had dried on his cheeks, and his face stayed incredibly close to hers. Lillian flushed, pulling away.

"Your mood changes fast, Ash."

"That's because I had my greatest supporter to cheer me up. Say it one more time…what exactly am I to you?"

"You're…always…_awinnerinmyeyes_."

"Sorry?"

Lillian pushed him back, laughing. "Stop teasing me and let's go! We have to get ready for the fair tomorrow! There's no time to be upset about what's going on!"

Ash grinned, taking off down the hall. "I'll race you!" he called over his shoulder, winking. Lillian gaped and then surged after him, both laughing as they raced down the hall.

* * *

"Well, since the president and vice president are both away, I suppose I'll give the score to the treasurer. That would be…you, right Cam?" Principal Rutger asked, smiling gently at the boy.

"Yeah," Cam mumbled, his expression sullen.

The principal held out a paper, grimacing. "Better luck next time, kids," he told them, patting Cam's shoulder before he headed off towards Principal Ina, who was in the midst of Konohana's celebration.

"What is it?" Georgia asked with a sigh. "Zero?"

"It's…negative six," Cam gaped, handing the paper to Georgia. "That's…a really…that's really low to start off with…"

"What?!" Georgia cried out. "Negative six? The buzzers dropped us six points? What the heck did we do? I don't understand at all! We've been really coming together in preparation for the fair!"

Mikhail grimaced, turning away, and Laney and Cam exchanged a look.

"Lillian," Laney whispered, low enough for only him to hear.

"Yeah," Cam replied, quietly enough that Georgia wouldn't hear his words either. "Let's not tell her until after the fair."

Laney nodded, glancing from Georgia's furious expression to Cam's surly face. "Okay."


	11. Pomeranian Punch

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**: Fair warning: updates might start running off their every two days schedule as time wears on and I have less and less of a chance to get these chapters written out. I will always do my best to get updates out asap however, I hate when people put out a longfic and their updates are like once every forever and you have no clue what's going on when you pick it up haha. I'm also gonna try to get out another story soon, but that definitely won't factor into how this story is written out. I love writing this so much, it's tons of fun, and I love putting out new chapters. Thank you all for your kind words and for continuing to read this, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

"This…isn't going so well."

Lillian winced at Ash's words, looking at the drinks she had before her that had yet to be purchased. A few people had trickled by, but nobody had seemed particularly interested so far. One woman brought a dog by and deposited it at Cam's station only to disappear. They hadn't seen her in hours, and Cam mumbled something about being a free dog sitting service. She held up Pomeranian Punch to Ash, who did his best not to laugh at her pathetic attempt to tie the animal theme to drinks, and then murmured, "I'm sorry. I put this whole thing together and…"

"I'll buy one!" The Oracle clapped her hands loudly to break up the conversation, gesturing to a cup of green juice. "Labrador Lime, right? Here's 300 G."

Lillian stared at her, stunned, and then hastened to take the money and pass the paper cup over. "What are you doing over here?" she asked, looking around hopefully for others. "I mean...how did you even know it was over here?"

"I saw a poster," the Oracle shrugged, looking at her friend as though that was the simplest and most obvious explanation ever. Lillian's questions, however, delved deeper. _Why are you helping with our fundraiser? Shouldn't you be taking care of Konohana's? _The girl laughed, flicking her fuchsia curls over her shoulder, and said, "We already finished at the elementary school. I actually knew about your fundraiser so much because Hiro told me a bit about it. So I wanted to see how it was going! It…doesn't seem to be doing too great so far…but how long have you been open?"

Ash sighed, muttering, "Two hours."

The Oracle narrowed her eyes, thoughtfully twirling a lock of pink hair around her index finger. "I see…" she noted. "Well…I have a preposition for you, Lillian! I can bring over a bunch of customers, but you have to do something in return for me."

"Ah…can't we consider that haphazardly put together plan I went through an exchange?" Lillian asked hopefully, not bothering to attempt denying the plan. It was clear that they needed help, and she couldn't see any benefit to letting her pride interfere with the exchange.

Ash put his hand questioningly on Lillian's shoulder, but she offered an apologetic shrug. Obviously she couldn't begin to fill him in on the circumstances, and hoped he would take it as another strange deal someone had to make with the Oracle, who was laughing. "Sorry, Lillian. We can't use that as bargaining until all the loose ends are tied up. Otherwise we don't know what kind of favor it's worth! But I don't want too much from you. Mostly I'm willing to do this because I think of you as a friend. But there is _one _thing I want you to do…and that is to make up with Dirk."

"Make…up…?"

"Apologize and be apologized to," the Oracle nodded.

"Ah," Lillian grumbled, looking away. "I don't know if I can do that…after how he acted when Konohana won the competition…it was really infuriating…"

The Oracle smiled, tilting her head to the side. "Dirk is difficult for reasons only he sees fit. I know he was a fool about winning, but I'm asking that you overlook that this _one _time."

"Why?" Ash asked, clearing his throat as he entered the conversation. "Sorry, it's just…I don't see why you want Lillian to make up with Dirk so much. How does that benefit you, or have anything to do with this particular situation?"

"I'm not as sensible as you," the Oracle replied calmly, laughing. "I don't see things as really having anything to do with the situation, only being fair exchanges. Dirk is someone I must rely on right now, and I hate to see him so wound up over something, especially when he and Lillian seemed to be getting along appropriately quite recently. All I want is for things between them to be smoothed over, and I'll consider that worth about half of the customers I'll bring to the festival. The other half is a free favor of friendship."

"I really don't understand," Ash murmured, raising his eyebrow.

Lillian smiled at him, shrugging. "I don't understand very much either, but…we do need people to come and pay for the raffle and drinks and everything, don't we?"

He met her smile with a reluctant one of his own. "We do, but…you don't have to bargain yourself away for it. Apologize to him if you feel like it. If you don't, I'll take care of things for you, alright?" He set his hand atop her head, his eyes gentle. "Don't push yourself too far for my benefit. You don't have to do everything by yourself."

Even the Oracle looked surprised. Lillian caught her breath and then smiled, nodding. "I'll keep that in mind," she whispered. "Thanks, Ash."

"Forget about it. I'm going to go hang out with Cam for a bit and see if that woman has come back for her dog yet. Thanks for coming," he tacked on politely to the Oracle, his hand sliding from Lillian and returning to his side as he walked off towards Cam, jogging once he was several feet away towards his friend. As hard as he was trying to hide it, however, Lillian could _feel _the frustration emanating from him.

"He wants to be the one to get you out of tight spots like this," the Oracle mused. "I'm impressed by him, you know. I really do like Ash very much. A lot of people I can predict, but Ash is hard to predict – to gauge where his head is, I have to know what you're doing. For example, I would have expected Ash to have a full-blown fight with Dirk after receiving such a nasty comment yesterday. He held his tongue perfectly, however, because you were there and upset. It's truly interesting. I won't say anything about you two liking each other, but I have to say this – your friendship is closer than anything I've ever seen. I certainly wouldn't go to such lengths for someone."

"We've been friends for a long time," Lillian replied softly. Still, she could sense what the Oracle was thinking – that Ash's actions often rested somewhere in the territory beyond friendship. It wasn't Cam or Laney, after all, who stuck by her side and ensured she knew they were there. They were too wrapped up in their own string of issues, which she didn't blame them for at all. Ash was wrapped up in perhaps more problems than any of them, and he still managed to make time to sympathize with Lillian and take care of her. _I definitely need to do this. I want him to rely on me as much as I rely on him_. "How can I get a hold of Dirk?"

The Oracle was surprised at the abrupt reply, smiling. "I have his cell phone number! I never call him, so he might think it's an emergency…but here you go!" Lillian accepted the cell phone thrust into her hands and watched as the Oracle deposited 500 G into the jar this time and took another cup of Labrador Lime. "Did you make this? It's really good."

"Laney did," Lillian replied with a grin.

"Impressive. Not the best name but since you're going with a domesticated animal theme I get it…a fair for children might be a better bet next time around, where you focus on wild animals. Lion Lime and such, you know? Cam made a good decision with a dog park, but it's definitely not the most popular park…hmm…I think I can pull some strings to make a lot of people interested, though."

Lillian, who had planned the entire festivity, winced in response. _She's right. It's _my _fault that this is so lame_. "I'll call right now!" she told the Oracle decisively, tapping on Dirk's name when she saw that it was already waiting for her on the phone's screen. The girl just smiled in reply as Lillian edged away, holding the phone eagerly to her ear.

"What is it?" Dirk's voice answered lazily on the other end.

_Yes, he _clearly _thinks this is an emergency_, Lillian thought to herself, rolling her eyes. However, she did not have time to dwell on her issues with Dirk any longer – she had already done her very best to ensure the fair would even come together. Now she had to do even more to make it a success. "It's me," she told him.

Several moments full of static made her wonder if she had been naïve enough to think that just because she easily recognized his voice he would recognize hers. _He might just think this is the Oracle still and is waiting for her to explain herself_, she fretted. Yet when that worry was about to be voiced, Dirk replied. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice lilting with carefully bridled concern.

"Nothing," she lied hurriedly. "I called to-"

"Just say it. What's wrong?"

Lillian let her eyes drop the ground, feeling shame rise up in her chest. "The fair isn't going so good. It's actually going pretty terribly. I don't know what to do. I really tried…"

"Me and her can fix it," Dirk answered easily enough. Lillian looked over her shoulder at the Oracle, who was inspecting the other cups of juice. "But you have to do something for me too."

"What?" Lillian snapped, her voice sharper than she had anticipated. If _Dirk _was going to ask her to do something, she really couldn't be too sure how terrible it would be. Surely it was something she would regret agreeing to in the future, though.

"What, did you think we were friends and I would just run in and save you? I'm not your boyfriend…though you do seem to be putting me in a situation he should be taking care of."

"I'm going to hang up now, okay?"

"Sorry," Dirk's voice sounded on the other line, thick with genuine remorse. "Just…do me a favor and pretend nothing has happened between us the past few weeks. Go back to treating me the way you used to…please."

The fists Lillian had clenched her hands into due to his earlier words uncurled themselves, her free hand hanging limply at her side. This was something Dirk had requested several different times, but had always been quick to retract. Now those words hung between them, separating them even further than the telephone line did. "I…" she drifted off, trying to pinpoint what she wanted to say. _I don't want to do that_, she told herself. It was all she _was _sure of in that instant. "I only called to apologize…I don't need your help if that's what you want."

He laughed on the other line, and she gritted her teeth in frustration. "You're really difficult, you know?" he replied. She pictured what he would do if was there – laugh in her face, flick her in the forehead once more. "I'll be there in a half hour. Think about what I said. I'm serious this time."

The phone clicked, and white noise filled her ear. Lillian pulled the cream colored phone from her ear, staring blankly at the black screen that greeted her. "What did he say?" the Oracle asked cheerfully. "Did he accept your apology?"

"No," Lillian mumbled, passing the phone over. "He said he'd be here in a half hour."

"What's wrong?" the Oracle asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Nothing. He can just do whatever he wants. It doesn't matter," Lillian retorted, her voice hot as she took her place behind the drink station once more, glaring out towards the stragglers drifting confusedly through the park. "I didn't ask for his help in the first place."

The Oracle stared at Lillian for a moment, brows furrowed in confusion and lips pursed. Finally she smiled, hugging her friend for a brief moment that still managed to surprise her. "I think I understand you some more today, Lillian! But I won't say what. You'll get mad at me." She winked, hopping around to the other side of the counter. "I'm going to go get things set up on my end. A deal is a deal! Prepare to see plenty more customers coming in."

Lillian watched her go, mirroring the girl's earlier confusion. _Maybe she does understand me a little bit more_, she figured, looking down at the multicolored juices untouched before her. _But I don't think she understands as much as she thinks._

* * *

When a half hour had passed Ash returned to Lillian's side, looking around with a raised eyebrow. "Where's your friend?" he asked.

"She went to go get more customers or something," Lillian mumbled, staring at the Pomeranian Punch Laney had made. _It does sound unappetizing_, she thought with a grimace. _I could have made it something with a more wild theme. Like Panther Punch, or Penguin Punch. Kids would have liked that. They don't even know how to say Pomeranian_.

Ash watched her with a small smile, tapping her cheek. "What's wrong?" he asked, tapping the corner of her frown next. "That face isn't going to bring in customers."

Lillian's cheeks colored as she slapped his hand away. "Nothing's wrong."

"…Right."

Lillian wondered how she had managed to deceive him about her supplementary lessons for two weeks, considering he wore such a doubtful expression it would urge anyone to confess their secrets. "My conversation with Dirk didn't go very well, but he's still going to try to get customers too. I don't get him. At all."

"You really can't just be grateful, can you?"

Dirk stood before Lillian with a smug expression, holding a glass of Pomeranian Punch and extending 300 G. Behind him customers were trickling in; families with children who ran to the game booths, couples that migrated towards Mikhail's violin playing, random dog walkers dropping their pets off with Cam to explore. "How did you…?" she drifted off, smiling reluctantly as she held her hand out for the money. His fingertips brushed against her palm as he released the coins.

"The Oracle has her strange ways. I mostly helped out," he shrugged, turning his gaze towards Ash for a moment. "Don't you have a stand to run?"

"No," he replied firmly.

"Being president is a fantastic job."

"Dirk!" Lillian snapped. "You-"

"I need to talk to you." His answer was firm and immediate, silencing her impending words. His eyes were heavy when they held hers, and she frowned without knowing what to expect. "Can you give us a second?"

Ash glanced at Lillian, who didn't meet his eyes. She was too surprised by Dirk's words to even look over at her friend. Dirk's expression was more than victorious as Ash slipped his hands into his pockets, forcing himself to walk away. At the last minute Lillian realized what she had done, clapping her hands over her face in frustration. "What do you want?" she asked from between her fingers. "Is this supposed to be some apology?"

"No. I wanted to tell you that I meant what I said earlier." She peeled her hands from her face to see that Dirk was gazing straight into her eyes, completely serious. Not an ounce of amusement was wound into his set features. "Don't treat me so familiarly anymore."

"Why?" Lillian asked, her voice shaking. "And…I don't even get what you're saying. We haven't gotten any closer recently."

Dirk folded his arms and rolled his eyes. "You would never have attempted to call me or even speak so openly to me like this a few weeks ago. If you keep talking to me like this…all you're going to do is make things worse."

"Dirk," the Oracle sounded behind him, her voice dark. "That's not nice."

"It's the truth," he replied hotly, ignoring Lillian's stricken face. "If she wants Ash and I to buddy up and hang out again, then she should take a step back and realize all she's doing is making us hate each other even more. So, I did you a favor…do one for me too. Seriously. Leave me alone."

Lillian glanced at the Oracle, who was wearing a disapproving expression, and then looked off toward Ash, who was visible in the distance beside Cam. The harsh words she had spoken to Dirk the day before reiterated themselves in her head and she stared into the depths of a cup of Pomeranian Punch as she mumbled, "Fine." The thought of pretending that all this time she had spent with Dirk – _Dirk_, her childhood best friend, the boy she thought she had finally been patching up a relationship with – would go to waste hung heavily in her chest. The long breath she released after giving her reply stung. If that was what it took, however…if all she was doing was making things worse for him _and _Ash…

Dirk didn't bother replying to her. He nodded and then tossed his half-full cup into the trash can. Lillian listened to the punch slosh to the bottom of the wastebasket as he walked away. The Oracle looked between them both, finally saying, "I'm sorry Lillian, I've got to…"

"It's fine," Lillian muttered in reply. "Go ahead. He's your friend."

"Lillian…you're my friend too," the Oracle murmured, wearing a guilty expression. "I'm sorry…"

The Oracle waited for Lillian to say something else, but the brunette didn't have any more words to say. She simply nodded and then turned to a customer who approached with a plastered on smile, happily offering up a glass of Berry Bernard in exchange for his 300 G. The normally bubbly pink-haired girl watched, raising her hand and then letting it fall back to her side. "I mean it," she whispered. "You're my friend." But Lillian didn't hear these words, and Dirk was walking farther and farther away, so she spun around and hurried after him.

Georgia and Lillian sat together at lunch, waiting for their friends to join them. Cam and Mikhail had run off to find Laney, and Ash was in line, waiting to purchase his daily meal. The two girls were both locked in heavy thought, their feet tapping against the tiled floor.

"The fundraiser yesterday was pretty successful," Georgia noted. "I was impressed. You did a good job putting it together, and even though it was a slow start at first, we ended up making 60,000 G in one day. There were a lot of donations. But I'm not even sure what to _start _doing with that money. Money isn't going to fix our score right about now, anyways."

"Oh, right…it's zero," Lillian murmured, sighing as she slumped forward, resting her head heavily against the table. It was clear to all of her friends that she was in a less than peppy mood, but nobody had been able to find an exact answer. Of course Ash suspected he understood the cause, but found he lacked the courage to properly investigate. Sometimes people can only regret what they find out.

Georgia spun towards Lillian, making a face. "I _wish _the score was zero. Cam and Laney never told you? I have absolutely no clue _what _the idiots in our club did, but the buzzers docked us six points for it. I can't believe it! We're negative six points at the start of the semester and they're probably five points up! An eleven point difference is way too hard to overcome. We're screwed and the semester has barely started, let alone the entire year. If our club keeps doing whatever knocked us down in points…we'll never make up the difference."

"I'm sure it was a one-time thing," Cam's voice announced firmly as he sat down beside Lillian, glancing sideways towards her with a sympathetic expression. "Don't worry so much. We can make up the difference. We don't know for sure if they've been docked any points or not anyways…"

Lillian rose to her feet, collecting her things. "I've got to go take care of some errands. I'll meet up with you all during club block."

"Lillian…" Cam murmured, his voice gentle. "Don't worry about this too much. It's a difference that _can _be made up. Georgia is just getting overworked."

Georgia scoffed at this, but Lillian merely smiled and then walked away, hurrying out the door of the cafeteria. Guilt stung at her. Not only had they lost the competition and had to rely on further help from Konohana to make their first fundraiser successful, now she knew the club had been docked because of _her _actions, just as Mikhail had warned. Her footsteps quickened until she was nearly running down the hall, rushing away from the cafeteria until she rounded a corner and slammed into a body, falling roughly back and off her feet.

"Lillian!" Hiro cried out, lurching forward to heave her to her feet. "I'm terribly sorry, I should have watched where I was going…"

"No, it's my fault," she answered, hurriedly grabbing her things and leaning forward, allowing her hair to shield her face. "Don't worry about it! Thanks for helping me up."

Hiro frowned as her voice quivered, tilting his head to the side to try and catch her eyes. "Are you…crying?" he asked, wincing.

A half-hearted chuckle left Lillian's lips as she straightened up and faced him, her eyes streaked with tears. "I made a mess of my club and hurt my friends. And I didn't even talk to Dirk about being nicer to you! I'm sorry, Hiro. I really need to try harder. Right now…I'm just making more and more mistakes and letting other people fix them for me. Really…I'm sorry."

Hiro watched, his expression miserably sympathetic as he watched her wipe at her eyes. "Lillian…" he murmured, hesitating before each word. Lillian, who was usually optimistic and full of joy, was _crying_ and admitting defeat. It was a tough notion to absorb. He pulled a tissue from his pocket, hurriedly offering it up. "Do you…want to talk about it?"

Lillian mumbled a thanks as she carefully dabbed at her eyes, struggling to maintain a forced smile and stop the flow of tears that slid down her cheeks. "It's fine, really. I've just done so many things wrong…starting with becoming vice president when there are so many other people better at it. I put my club in a troubled position, I lied to my best friends, I didn't properly plan the fundraiser, I had to rely on the same people who my reliance on caused points to be docked from my score before to save me, and…and I can't even make my friends happy. All I do is…I don't know," she admitted, tossing her hands up into the air with a wave of sudden frustration. "I don't know what I do, but it's not working out. I've managed to upset everyone, it seems, or at least made them suspicious or frustrated or confused ever since I moved back here. I wanted things to go back to how they were before but that was just so naïve."

It was a lot to take in, but Hiro followed well and pulled her into a hug when she finished speaking. "It's not naïve to want all of your friends to get along and to get along with them," he murmured, sympathetically patting her shoulder. "You're a good vice president. You had some problems with the first fundraiser, but it was only the _first_. You learned your lesson for the next ones, right? So there's nothing to worry about. How many points was your club docked?"

"Six," she mumbled, resting her head against his shoulder as she continued to wipe her eyes. Unfamiliar students passed by, shooting puzzled looks over their shoulders at her.

"So you started off negative six…well, you might think you're incredibly behind right now, but my club was docked even more points than yours – we were docked seven, actually. Someone found out that we were assisting the enemy club and ensuring that they had a successful run. So we're starting off in the negatives too – negative two points exactly, in fact. So you're only four points behind. If your club manages to beat ours in the next competition, you're in the lead."

Lillian pulled away, wearing a stunned expression. "You were docked points…because of me?"

"Don't feel guilty!" Hiro told her quickly, waving his hands frantically before her. "We're not upset. Dirk said he understood perfectly why he was docked points and he didn't blame whoever did it. He knew he would probably be docked points when he started helping you out, and so did the Oracle. So did I. I think friendship is a little more important than these silly scores when all is said and done, right?"

Georgia would have screamed at this suggestion – even Ash, who didn't seem to particularly care about the clubs, would have scoffed. But Lillian smiled, relieved to find someone who was able to see the larger picture. "Thanks, Hiro," she murmured, taking a deep breath and tucking the tissue into her pocket, right beside her map. "I'm sorry I caused your group to be docked points but…thank you for helping me out anyways, and thank you for helping me out now. You know…you're really nice."

He grinned, looking incredibly relieved to see a genuine expression on her face. "Thank you. And…you're welcome. And don't worry about the thing with Dirk. I took the blame for Reina knowing fully well that he would be angry with me. When he's ready to forgive me, he will. I have no doubt that that time will come. You should head back to the cafeteria and spend time with your friends – I've got to get back to the kitchen with these."

Hiro heaved a bag of potatoes he had rested against the lockers during their run-in back onto his shoulder. Lillian waved him off, calling one last thank you after his turned back. She did not head back to the lunchroom, however. She leaned against the wall outside her classroom, staring blankly at the silver sheen of the freshly washed lockers before her.

_Did Dirk tell me he didn't want to talk anymore because of this_? She wondered. He _had _to have known how many points his club was docked – they had been posted earlier in the day, and if Lillian hadn't been walking around in such a haze she knew she would have known too. _Is he angry at me for making his club lose so many points when they had just won?_ She had to admit that it made sense. Dirk didn't seem to see anything wrong with the rivalry – when it pitted him against Ash he seemed to enjoy it, even. The brunette tapped her foot against the floor, sighing. The rivalry didn't mean much to her, but her friends…the look of disappointment on their faces when they had lost and when they looked around at Lillian's pathetic exaction of a plan she had worked on with all of them only to butcher made it clear that they wanted to win. _So I want to win too_, she decided, slamming her fist onto her upturned palm. _I'm _going _to win the next competition _and_ get us out of the negatives before them no matter what._

* * *

"Lillian?" the Oracle asked cautiously when she saw her friend staring blankly out the window. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Hmm? I'm fine," Lillian answered, not bothering to look away from the window. She was resting her head against her hand, gazing dully at a group of birds that flew in a V formation across the bright sky. Dirk glanced back at her, but turned to his desk without lingering on her clearly dejected form.

The Oracle wasn't believing a word of it. "I saw you leave the cafeteria today looking rather upset. Are you sure something didn't happen? Your fundraiser went well, right? Are your friends mad at you? Is it…?"

"Nothing," Lillian answered firmly, setting her hands atop her desk. She smiled at her friend, hurriedly shaking her head. She _wanted _to be bitter towards Konohana like so many members of Bluebell were, but she knew she didn't have it in her the moment she looked at the Oracle. _I can't stop talking to her, or anyone else on the Konohana team. _Her eyes drifted towards Dirk's turned back for a moment and she frowned. _Except for him. I just have to make sure I don't help them when it comes to club matters or go to them for help again._ "The fundraiser went great, thanks. Nothing bad has happened, I was just in a hurry when I left earlier. Really…don't worry about it."

Kana frowned, but it was his turn, apparently, to rescue Lillian rather than the other way around. He turned and asked about their project, which each was supposed to be finalizing their part on to turn in at the end of the week. Lillian launched gratefully into this discussion, cheerfully detailing her part of the assignment. The Oracle glanced towards Dirk, who was watching the brunette from the corner of his eye, grimacing.

"It could be you that's making her so upset, you know," the Oracle mumbled when she leaned towards him, wearing a freshly disapproving expression. "She was really upset when you left. You probably hurt her feelings. All she wanted to do was be your friend."

"She would have wanted more after that," Dirk replied, shrugging. "She would have wanted me to be friends with her friends – to be friends with _Ash_. 'Just like the good old days.' And I can't do that." He looked at Lillian once more and then murmured, "Even for her."

The Oracle leaned away, stunned as she watched him begin to write without another word. She murmured, "Dirk…" but he did not reply. Nobody seemed to see her shock. In the same way, she realized with a soft groan, she could not see what they were going through for the first time she could remember.


	12. Obstacles

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Sorry this update is a day late. I have a couple chapters written up so I'll try to have these already in the doc manager so I can update them as the time comes. Also, I just put out another story Daffodil and I just wanted to assert that its updates will not have any effect on this story and vice versa - I only write The City at home using my computer, while I write Daffodil on my laptop at college during downtime. I don't want to bother keeping the files on a flash drive and switching back and forth, it's easy for me to keep up with having a set place to work on each. So, don't think I'll neglect this story now haha, it'll have the same amount of attention as usual. (: Thank you all for the continuously kind reviews, they're always sweet. I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

"We need to outline a few rules do to our recent deduction," Georgia announced to the crowd of sullen seniors, disappointed from their recent defeat and further embarrassment in being docked six points. A negative score was enough to negate even the happy feelings gained from the successful fundraiser. Ash sat with his arm around the back of Lillian's chair, watching her carefully as she stared blankly down at her feet. Further down the row of club officer chairs, Mikhail – who was allowed to sit up with them solely due to his long-standing club time – also watched Lillian with a deeply sympathetic expression.

Laney was struggling to keep up with Georgia's loudly declared rules, writing furiously across the whiteboard as Cam hastened to finish reports regarding the amount of money that had drawn in from the fundraiser. Georgia had temporarily taken hold of the jobs Ash and Lillian were usually in charge of due to her massive anger, and she had demanded he find out which booths had been the most successful and insisted that each club officer would then have to think of at least five ways to improve the top four most successful booths. Clubs, it seemed, were becoming much more serious after the first competition.

Even the typically uninterested regular members of Bluebell were now leaning anxiously forward as Georgia called out, "Club loyalty is the most important thing to remember. Do _not _help Konohana. We are _Bluebell_ and we are loyal only to our own club!" Lillian and Ash had worried that the defeat would cause the miserable expressions on their faces to dampen their intrigue regarding clubs, but it seemed to strengthen their ties and resolve. Nobody wanted to be a loser, after all. Georgia more than anybody.

"She's going a little overboard," Ash murmured, his fingertips tapping Lillian's shoulder to ensure she didn't continue to drift by in a haze. "Everybody is buying into it, but this is turning into an anti-buzzers meeting, I think."

"She really does hate them," Lillian added.

Ash nodded in agreement, sighing. "That's for sure. I wonder who the buzzers are this year, anyways…"

Lillian sat upright so quickly she crushed Ash's fingers between her back and the chair. He winced in pain but silently eased them away, reluctant to distract her from the obvious conclusion she had reached. _Who _is _the buzzer? _she wondered to herself. There were two every year, but they only picked two so they could attempt to cover all club members. One of them _had _to be someone who knew about what had happened with Lillian, and there were only three people who knew the full details – enough to dock six total points. And those three people were Laney, Cam, and Mikhail.

"I wonder…" she echoed, looking over her shoulder. Cam's hand was a blur as it moved rapidly across a notebook's pages, turning the pages back and forth as time passed. Laney was struggling to write out the fourth rule – don't confide in Konohana club members how Bluebell was doing – even though Georgia had already moved onto the sixth rule – do not give Konohana club members any tips or hints as to what we might anticipate for future club competitions. Lillian glanced down the row of chairs and met Mikhail's eyes, which were kind when he realized she was looking at him as well. _I don't know_, she admitted. How could _she _be expected to know who the buzzer was when Georgia – who seemed to hold a ridiculously powerful grudge against the informants – hadn't noticed any change in demeanor of friends she had been with far longer than Lillian? If Cam, Laney or Mikhail were a buzzer…wouldn't Georgia of all people know first? Judging from the way she continue to stare at the notes in her anti-buzzer notebook during lunch without any sense of understanding, it seemed that she hadn't reached any conclusion in those regards.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked, waving a hand before her blank face. "You've seemed out of it all day, Lil."

"I'm just curious," she mumbled in response, slumping in her chair once more. Ash's hand landed on her shoulder this time rather than lurking behind it, and he gave her a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry," she told him with a smile. "I'm fine."

Ash didn't look entirely convinced. "Hey…answer a question for me, would you?"

"Hm? What is it?"

He stared out at the crowd. Everyone was clapping and cheering in agreement that Bluebell was the number one club in school and needed to win more than anything – Georgia smiled proudly out towards them, looking rather intimidating in her position behind the makeshift podium. Lillian's eyes were on Ash's however, frowning as she waited for his question. Finally he turned towards her and murmured, "Do you have a thing for Dirk?" The surprise that spread across her face was evident, and it sent a wave of relief through Ash. Of course it wasn't a yes or a no, but it was an immediate _I hadn't thought of it_, and that was good enough for the time being. "Forget about it," he told her before she could reply. "Never mind."

"But…"

"I expect that if you did think you had a crush on him, you'd tell me. That's what friends do," Ash replied, ruffling her hair with a bitter-edged voice.

Lillian felt a sense of disappointment at his words, but she couldn't pinpoint what exactly had caused it. Was it the mention of being solely friends, she wondered? Was it the implication that he wouldn't care if she did, but only wanted to know? Nonetheless she forced a smile to him and smoothed her hair, listening to the crowd of Bluebell club members calling for Konohana's defeat.

* * *

On Wednesday Lillian found herself in a group with Laney and Mikhail in their second block, staring down at a new dull assignment. Having finally completed her project with Dirk, the Oracle and Kana, she had been looking forward to a lax of group work. Still, Laney and Mikhail were the best partners she could have, and it allowed for some time she didn't usually have with the two.

"What do you think the club competition this week is going to be?" Laney asked Mikhail, taking advantage of his general club knowledge. Mikhail had been taking notes about their new project – a biographical report – and paused with a thoughtful expression at her words.

Lillian glanced suspiciously between the two, trying to suspend the growing doubt in her chest. It was hard not to wonder who was the informant when she had narrowed it down to three people. She felt like she might have an inkling of understanding regarding how Georgia typically felt. Knowing there was someone close to you whose job was to report everything you told them in secrecy to the principal was a worrisome thing. "I really couldn't say," Mikhail noted, jarring her from her thoughts with his next suggestion of, "But it'll probably be worth ten points."

"_Ten_?" she asked, leaning forward eagerly. "What makes you say that?"

He smiled at her excitement, shrugging. "Well, I happen to know a bit about the history of clubs – Principal Rutger told me a story about how several years ago there was a situation like this one, in which both clubs started with negative points. To negate that, he and Principal Ina rose the obtainable points to ten and gave the second place team an obligatory three points as a sympathy gift. I'm not too sure if they'll do the same this year, but it's a possibility."

"Hmm…that's a good chance. And as long as we don't get docked more points…that could be a good opportunity for us," Laney murmured, tapping her fingers against Mikhail's violin case, which was strewn across the table their three desks had formed. "Let's do our best, alright?"

They agreed, but Lillian could not focus when their conversation immediately shifted to the project. _Ten points_, she thought hopefully to herself. _That's a good shot. A really, really good shot…and we're going to win_. She smirked at the paper before her, feeling eagerness run through her system. Only two more days and she _would _beat Konohana.

* * *

The Oracle watched fretfully as Lillian once again continued to stare blankly out the window. In the distance she could see a bird circling the treetops. Her fingers danced aimlessly across her desktop, revealing just how anxious she was. Wednesday was much too early in the week, she decided – Thursday would be even more agonizing, separating them from their next chance. It was _her _fault the score was so ridiculously low so early. So it was _her _job to fix that. Every moment that went by in which she wasn't getting that chance seemed to be a moment wasted.

"Hey," Kana murmured, speaking before the Oracle could find something to say to jolt her friend from her reverie. "What's up with you? You've been zoning out all week."

"Huh?" Lillian asked, turning towards him with a blank expression. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"Exactly! You've been out of it all day today, all day yesterday, the day before…what's going on? Something bad happening with your club again?"

"No!" Lillian answered instantly, the hand that had been fluttering about atop her desk slamming flat onto it. The Oracle and Dirk exchanged a look, and Kana's eyebrows rose with surprise. Lillian took on an apologetic expression, hastily murmuring, "Sorry, I guess I've just been daydreaming a lot lately. But everything with the club is going fine, and there's nothing bothering me. Thank you for your concern, Kana."

He hesitated and mumbled, "Uh, no problem…" The Oracle was not so easily convinced. She shot a pointed look towards Dirk, who avoiding meeting her eyes to ensure he wasn't roped into whatever was up her sleeve.

"Lillian," she began, ensuring that she was even going to be able to catch her friend's attention in the first place. The brunette turned a kind smile towards her, gesturing for her to go on. "I don't mean to be rude, but you have been acting really strange lately…did _any _of us do something to upset you?"

Dirk scowled at her, but she ignored him and continued to stare towards Lillian, who looked surprised. "No, nobody has done anything wrong," she answered, shaking both her hand and her head. "I guess you could say I just…have a lot on my mind. I want everything to go perfectly, for my friends and my club. So…I'm doing my best to make sure that happens. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm giving you the cold shoulder…I'm not angry with you or Kana."

The Oracle's eyes flitted towards Dirk, whose jaw was firmly set. He glared at his paper, silent. Lillian clearly hadn't meant to offend him – instead, she had left out his name in an attempt to convey to him that she was no longer going to treat him so familiarly – but it was clear he was troubled by this statement. It was Kana who replied, however, murmuring, "It's not all up to you, you know. All your friends, like Cam and Laney and Ash…Georgia…they all want the same thing. Don't be so gung ho about taking care of things. You should rely more on your friends. They want everything to go perfectly with each other and the club, just like you."

Lillian looked at him in surprise and then smiled, her face relaxing into the calmest it had been. "You're right. Everybody wants the same thing. Thanks, Kana."

"No problem," he replied, his voice lilting with his typical cheer that seemed rather forced after such a serious remark. He asked her next whether or not she had completed her part of the project, and their conversation broke off into a laughing discussion of Kana's procrastination, which had left him with a heavy amount of work to put together at the last minute.

"I don't think she meant that she was mad at you," the Oracle told Dirk gently, seeming to sense his discomfort. "I think she just took your words _very _literally…and is now going to treat you as though you were never, ever friends."

"We _weren't _friends," Dirk muttered, rolling his eyes. "Not since before she moved away."

The Oracle stared at him for a moment and then leaned in closer, whispering directly into his ear now to ensure Lillian didn't hear. Dirk normally would have shrugged her away, but he allowed her to speak this time, considering the subject. "I know you've probably thought about this before, but I want you to think about it one more time, Dirk. You were Lillian's best friend when you were all in middle school. Can you really do this to her? Just shut her out when she came back here with hopes to befriend you all over again…and tried to do so even though you had completely changed?"

He didn't say a word, but the Oracle could see in his eyes that her words had touched him. "Food for thought!" she finished with a smile, leaning back in place to join in with Lillian's conversation. The brunette's eyes drifted to Dirk for a moment, but they were back onto Kana and the Oracle before he could turn around and see.

* * *

"Hey, Georgia?" Lillian murmured when lunch started and the pair found themselves alone again. Once more, at a time when Cam and Mikhail would have typically walked with her to the lunchroom, Cam went off in search of Laney and Mikhail disappeared to run an errand. She withheld her suspicions with a great deal of self-discipline, but couldn't stop herself from turning to the redhead beside her and taking advantage of their time together. "Can I ask you something?"

Georgia looked mildly surprised by the abrupt question, but shrugged. "Sure. Shoot."

"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to. I'm only asking because they've been on my mind a lot lately…but why do you hate the buzzers so much?" She knew it was a stupid question to ask, and she knew if Ash was around he would instantly slap his hand over her mouth and tow her away for tactlessness. However, Lillian had a hunch that the only way she could deepen her bonds with her friends was to start actually _learning _about them, and that meant she had to be brave enough to ask questions sometimes – even if, admittedly, Georgia scared her a bit. The lunch room was loud and hectic around them, the table they usually sat at silent and somber with this new question. Lillian began to regret her bravery when Georgia leaned towards her, hands on the table below the carved words _Bluebell forever!_ Lillian realized that, despite it being a rather disappointing act, she wouldn't be surprised if Georgia had been the one to carve it there.

"I'm surprised nobody has told you yet, honestly," Georgia muttered, holding Lillian's eyes for several moments before she dropped hers to the gray surface her hands were tapping. "But I guess I'm not really surprised too. It's just like them all to keep you in the dark, thinking I would 'tell you when I was ready.' They take everything too seriously. It's just a story of the past now. But I don't mind telling you. Just…don't tell anyone else. I don't like thinking that people are talking about this behind my back."

Lillian stared at her, stunned. She did consider Georgia a friend, but if asked anything about the girl she would likely draw a blank if the question wasn't _does she love her club_? All she knew about Georgia was she was a conflicting person that always left Lillian curious, had been the subject of Kana's affection and teasing, and hated the buzzers as much as she loved Bluebell. To think that one of her constant questions was finally going to be answered left her own pulse racing, though Georgia' s tapping fingers suggested _she _was the nervous one. "I understand," she answered, offering a small smile.

Georgia leaned back in her chair, staring out across the cafeteria. Lillian followed her eyes, noting that she was watching Ash purchase his lunch from Hiro. In only a few moments he would be finished collecting his meal and its accessories and would be seated among them. Lillian felt a fear that he would come before the story was told rising in her, and Georgia chose that moment to begin speaking. "I bet you're curious as to why I made such a big deal about not being the president, too. It must have seemed weird, since I've been in this club, being prepped for the position of president, ever since my freshman year. Well, I was really close with the president last year. He was training me to be this year's president – he spent a lot of one on one time with me, coaching me on what it would take to win. We were pulling ahead of Konohana by a huge amount of points…I could _feel _the win ahead of us… but we were occasionally being docked points by the buzzers, and it was getting on my nerves. I thought there was someone trying to sabotage us – every time Konohana won a competition, we'd get docked points too, as if someone was trying to help them catch up. It was really starting to worry the president, so I decided to figure out who the buzzer was myself."

Ash was standing at the salad bar, trapped between a choice of daikon or turnip. Lillian was staring at Georgia, eyes round and expectant. She was _finally _about to find out…after all this time…

Laney and Cam were standing in the entrance to the cafeteria, and Lillian felt her spirits fall. A hand gripped the back of her shirt, however, and Georgia hoisted her to her feet. "Come on!" she laughed, punching her in the shoulder. "Don't look so disappointed. Let's go outside so I can finish telling you the story."

Lillian didn't hesitate, snatching her belongings up and following her out of the cafeteria. Laney and Cam looked puzzled, and a look over her shoulder showed that Ash was also confused, but Lillian didn't risk taking the time to explain it to them. It seemed that it wouldn't take much for Georgia to give up on discussing this, and she was lucky enough to be offered up this chance to hear the truth. She suspected it had much to do with Georgia's own sympathy for her, because she had been left puzzled over the situation the entire time.

The air outside was crisp, as the weather was becoming gradually cooler. Fall was completely settled in, and would too soon be forced out for winter to take its place. Georgia led her down a path that was spectacularly gorgeous, littered with couples that left Lillian blushing. Georgia was unabashed, strolling down the walkway without a care in the world. "We used to hold club meetings out here when the weather was good," she noted. "I haven't said anything about it yet because the club has been unruly, but soon we'll be able to do it. Everyone seems to be getting along well now, after all."

"Yeah, they do," Lillian murmured in reply, thinking of Wednesday's club block, in which they had broken into groups to discuss what they wanted to accomplish in the Bluebell club. Amazingly enough, many members had come up with lofty goals and hopes. The club officers hadn't taken part in it, but they could agree with many notions.

Finally Georgia stopped in an area less romantic, full of gossiping friends and a group of guys playing football together. They leaned against a tree, each on one opposite side, and stared at their respective views of the campus. Lillian couldn't recall a time in which she had spent time with Georgia one on one outside of the few awkward cafeteria interactions, and found herself slightly nervous. What if she said something that angered her, or upset her? The silence was growing unbearable when Georgia finally began to speak.

"I spent almost the entire second semester trying to find out who the buzzer was. I wrote countless notes, I practically interrogated every member of the club, I tried to find out who was acting suspiciously or disappearing after class or having discussions with Principal Rutger…I only managed to track down the name of one. One person who fit all of these characteristics, who just kept popping up in my conversations with others. I thought, this girl is in the way of us winning and getting to go to the City. Well, the seniors getting to go to the City – underclassmen don't get to go even if their club wins. I really wanted to help out the president, since he helped me so much. I wanted him to go to the City and to lead his club to victory. I confronted the buzzer right before the school year ended, thinking I could convince her to stop docking us points. I really thought that she was being unfair…I ended up yelling at her until she cried. The next day, we had been docked fifty points. That week, we lost an important club competition – the final one, which is always worth twenty points. Konohana won, and my president was devastated. The buzzers are allowed to reveal themselves after the final club competition, and she went to him and told him all about how I had acted…but he didn't yell at me, even though I would have deserved it. He…he just cried. And he told me to forget about it, and he graduated, and I haven't seen him since. He moved to the City. He did his best the entire year to lead Bluebell to victory, and my confrontation with the buzzer cost us an entire year's work."

Georgia bumped her head lightly against the tree several times and heaved an enormous sigh, and Lillian stared ahead, unseeing, at the boys playing football. The ball spun past her, and everyone turned to the boy who had thrown it wrong and laughed. "That's…that's terrible," she whispered, sympathy pouring from her towards the girl on the other side of the tree.

"It's my fault," Georgia mumbled. Her voice took on a fiery edge, however, as she snapped, "But I hate the buzzer for doing it. Just because of one club member doing something like that…she docked us _fifty _points! Fifty is ridiculous! She had an issue with me. She should have gotten me suspended or something, not ruined her own club's game! That's why this year I'm going to find out who the buzzer is sooner, and I'm going to handle things in a much better way…but I'm going to make sure they don't cause problems this time. We were already docked six points. I'm going to make sure that kind of stuff doesn't continue to happen. When the year started I thought that maybe…maybe it wouldn't happen again. But the buzzer just keeps on doing the same things. I made sure I didn't take the position of president so that this year I could protect our club president better. _Being _president and going after the buzzers would be stupid."

Lillian looked over her shoulder, watching as Georgia ground her fist into the dirt. _So that's why she didn't want to be president,_ she thought with a grimace. _And she was probably so afraid of taking the position because it brings up so many bad memories…_ "But," she spoke aloud, wearing a nervous expression. "What if the same thing as last year happens?"

"Last year it was too late. The school year ended, everything went south before I could manage to sort things out. I was too scared to do anything. This year I have the chance to go to Principal Rutger and appeal for our points to be returned and for myself to take the fall – but it's not like I intend to yell at the buzzer again. I just want to see where they stand. If they're really trying to help Konohana win."

"I don't think…"

"You don't _know_," Georgia interrupted, her voice impatient and frustrated. "People do some terrible things to make sure their club wins. There has been a saboteur on our club's side before, a couple years ago. Mikhail told me a story Principal Rutger told him about it. It could happen again, you know, and I need to make sure it doesn't! Anything could happen! Look, I'm telling you this because you did me a huge favor in making sure Ash became president and I don't want you to think you're not my friend or something. But…this doesn't have anything to do with you. Just keep up the work as vice president, and I'll keep up my work. See you in club block."

Lillian spun around, attempting to apologize, but Georgia hastened back towards the cafeteria without another word. The grass was still gently crushed from her spot, but other than that there was no sign of the bonding moment they had shared. Georgia had reached out and shared something with her, and Lillian was still holding back her secret – that _she _was the cause of Bluebell's deducted points. That one of Georgia's treasured friends was a buzzer. She put her face in her hands and sighed.

"Hey, stop looking so depressed. You told me things were going okay yesterday."

Kana plopped down beside her, grinning when she turned to him with an incredulous expression. "Have you been over here the whole time?" she asked, looking around, wondering if he had managed to sneak up on her.

"I'm the one who almost killed you with a football, actually. I told you, you've been completely out of it lately." He smiled out towards his friends, who were still tossing the football back and forth. "Let me ask you something."

"About Georgia?" Lillian asked, realizing he had likely seen them talking and had come to her the moment he saw Georgia rush off.

He turned to her and nodded, heaving a sigh. "My question was actually going to be whether or not your friends told you about what happened with me and her, but I'm guessing you know now."

"I heard that you teased her a lot," Lillian admitted with an apologetic shrug. "And that you, er, confessed your feelings for her in front of the entire school and did not get the answer you had been hoping for."

He laughed at her attempt to sugarcoat the words and leaned against the tree beside her, cupping his hands before his mouth. He was silent for several moments as they watched his friends attempt to spin the ball towards a group of girls reading, who hollered the moment they saw what was going on. Finally he mumbled, "I like Georgia a lot. I've liked her for as long as I can remember. I have no idea where to even _start _in apologizing to her. I really wanted to join Bluebell, you know. So I could spend more time with her. I tried to apologize to her once, though, just us, and she asked me to never speak to her again. She asked me to stay out of her sight. So I joined Konohana when the time came, and even though they offered me a club officer position because my older brother was big in the club years ago I turned it down so if she was a club officer she wouldn't have to see me. I was hoping that as time went on she'd become more open to me. I took that detention the other day, thinking that I might get a chance to talk to her."

He drifted off, staring blankly towards the fountain his friends were now gathered around. They called for him to return, but he waved them off, and continued to ignore continued suggestions that he would rather flirt than spend time with them. Lillian was impressed at how little these comments troubled him – they seemed to go directly in one ear and out the other. She wondered how she would react if her friends were to tease her so. It still took all of her willpower not to be shaken by the Oracle's comments regarding Ash, though she knew perfectly well to expect them. Even more impressive, however, was Kana's feelings. Lillian found herself amazed at how long he had been able to nurture his feelings for Georgia despite being completely shut down by her. And just as she had suspected, he _had _taken the detention on purpose.

"What happened?" she asked softly, not wanting to trouble him but finding that she was already enamored in the discussion. "Georgia was really heated the next day…"

"Yeah. She was really heated the minute she saw me. She knows better than anyone else how much I love horses – going to the stables is the one thing I refused to sacrifice for her wishes. She has to adjust the times she goes to make sure we don't run into each other. She knows if I get detention I can't go to the stables, so when she saw me there…she instantly assumed – correctly – that I had gotten detention in hopes of getting a chance to talk to her. I did get to talk to her. It was the first time we've talked in forever." He paused and then sighed, shaking his head. "I apologized and she yelled at me. She cried. Told me to stay away from her because all I do is make things difficult."

"Kana…" Lillian winced, grimacing. "I'm sorry…"

"I deserved it," he mumbled, shaking his head once more and gesturing for her to stop. "I put her through hell, so of course she's going to think I wasn't being genuine. I didn't come over here necessarily to tell you all of this, anyways. I wanted to say…if Georgia is ever having some trouble, let me know. Please. I'll do anything to help her out, and I'll make sure she has no clue I was involved in it. Whether it be club matters or personal matters, I'll help out."

Lillian stared at him for a moment, preparing herself to turn down this offer. _Georgia would hate me. It goes again all the rules she gave yesterday, too_. But when the time came to voice those concerns, she found herself saying something else instead. "Can you try to find out who the Bluebell buzzers are?" she asked.

Kana didn't seem surprised. "She's still hung up on that, huh? Yeah, I'll find out." He pushed himself to his feet and held a hand out to her as the bell rang, earning catcalls from his friends that he further ignored. "Let's get to class. And uh…thanks, Lillian. I appreciate it."

She let him help her to her feet and then gathered her things, walking with him past the friends and past the couples and past the halls her friends had probably roamed trying to find her. "You're welcome," she told him with a smile. "I kind of admire you, Kana."

"You shouldn't," he told her, laughing as they walked into the room, passing the Oracle and Dirk, who looked surprised to see them together. "But thanks."

"That's new," the Oracle murmured curiously. "It must be about Georgia."

"Save it," Dirk sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm nowhere near as interested in their story as you are."

"We made this deal a long time ago, Dirk. I give you information – that's my side. Must you pick and choose so much regarding what information you want? Or is all you want to hear stuff about Lillian and Ash these days? Because I can give you a run-down of their relationship, if that's what you want."

Had those words come from Lillian or Ash themselves, Dirk would have been furious. But it was the Oracle, so he only laughed and walked away, leaving her with a crestfallen face. "Being so bitter doesn't suit you," he called over his shoulder, smirking. Lillian looked across the room and met the Oracle's miserable eyes, but a moment later she was smiling, and Lillian was left wondering what she had seen.

* * *

The Oracle and Kana walked with Lillian on Friday after class towards the outside track, where they had been told that week's club competition would be held. Dirk walked several steps behind them, hands in his pockets. At one point Lillian guiltily looked over her shoulder only to find him watching her, and the moments that continued ached with discomfort for both parties.

"It's an obstacle course…that's awful," the Oracle sighed.

Lillian looked around in amazement as she surveyed the track. There were clearly marked places where people would trade off – in fact, there were exactly five trade-offs, which Lillian knew meant the club officers were the stars of the show this time around as well. There were tires strategically placed, a wall meant to be climbed over, and a balance board, along with two straight stretches of dirt completed with a ribbon, clearly meant for the winner to surge into.

Ash hurried to Lillian when he saw her, wearing a nervous expression. "How are you with athletic stuff?" he asked.

"I'm…okay, I guess. I mean, I'm sure I'm about as good as Hiro…I think," she mumbled, shrugging in embarrassment. She recalled her earlier resolution and then nodded, clapping her hands together. "I'll win. Don't worry. I have to."

He raised an eyebrow and tapped the spot between her furrowed brows. "Hey…what's wrong? You don't have to take this so seriously…"

Lillian was searching for an answer when Principal Ina rushed over to Dirk, gesturing for the Oracle to move in. "We have your note about how you can't participate in physical competitions," she murmured, hushing her voice in an attempt to protect the Oracle's secret. Lillian turned around in surprise, recalling that the Oracle had always seemed perfectly capable of skipping through the halls and racing ahead of her at other times. "So, can you ask someone else to fill in her place? Oh, how about Kana?"

Kana looked up, his eyes wide. "Oh, no, I can't do that-"

"You'll do fine!" Principal Ina noted cheerfully, patting him on the shoulder. "You were on the track team last year, weren't you? This is perfect. You'll be competing in the sergeant at arms place, then. The final stretch. Do your best!"

The Oracle turned towards Kana, asking, "You're not going to throw it, are you?"

But Kana was looking at Lillian, his face pale. "You've gotta help me," he told her, his voice low.

Lillian frowned, looking out towards the course, and then nodded. "I'll do my best too. Don't worry, Kana."


	13. Fight with a Friend

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: This is one of my favorite chapters so far. I feel like it's got a lot in it haha! I was able to bring up enough situations that this chapter includes an important club event, some romance, and some further delving into side characters' stories (by side character I pretty much mean anyone not Lillian, Ash and Dirk hahah). I hope everyone else likes it too. As always I want to thank everyone so much for their continued kind words. It's so encouraging to read consistent reviews. I love seeing people who review multiple chapters, I think it's such a sweet gesture. To the people who have recently gotten into this story as well, that's always a hugeee encouragement to me, I'm so happy to know that other people are getting interested as the story progresses. Thank you all for reading!_

* * *

"Ten points! That's what Principal Rutger just said!" Georgia told the club officers, gesturing fiercely. "We need to win!"

"Georgia," Ash began, his voice ominous. "There's been a substitution on their side…something you should know about…"

Lillian stepped before him, gesturing for him to stop. "Someone else is filling in for the Oracle as the sergeant at arms place, but there's no need to worry about it right now. I…uh…I want to talk to everyone about our strategy. Is that alright?"

Georgia looked suspicious, but gave her consent, and Laney and Cam agreed as well. Ash raised a curious eyebrow but waved his hand in approval. Lillian looked over her shoulder at Dirk and then murmured, "The presidents _have _to compete first and the sergeant at arms _have _to compete last. Principal Ina and Principal Rutger agreed on that. They said that the vice president, treasurer, and secretary positions can be switched around _if _both clubs agree on it. If I know what you are all good at, I can try to convince the Konohana club officers to agree to our positioning as well. The first run is just straight speed, and so is the final stretch. Ash and Georgia, you'll just have to give it all you have. The second is the tire thing – so, Cam and Laney, I'm mostly talking to you two here. Are either of you especially good at that?"

"Cam," Laney answered. "He's really coordinated, and when we did that exercise in gym class he was great at it."

Cam shrugged and then nodded. "I can do that one, sure."

"And then after that there's the balance board…"

"Laney," Cam replied. "She's got really impressive balance."

Laney blushed and nodded, and Lillian grinned. "Alright, sounds good. Then I'll do the climbing thing…we had to do climbing exercises in my old school's gym class all the time. I think I can do it. I'm going to go talk to them about it, and you guys should start warming up."

Ash caught her arm, frowning. "You want me to go with you?"

"I think they'll probably agree to it more if it's just me. I'm not talking to Dirk right now, so I need to appeal to the Oracle, Hiro, and…uh, Reina and Nori, I guess…"

"You can do it!" Georgia answered before Ash could protest. "I think you have a way of talking to people. Just ask if they had any opinions about switching around first too. Its okay if we can't get it sorted out perfectly, so don't worry. We'll all give it our all no matter what."

Lillian smiled at her friend, giving a decisive nod as she began walking over to Hiro and the Oracle. They turned to her, wearing grins, but Dirk intercepted her when she was only a few feet away, looking suspicious. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Uh…nothing."

He folded his arms, looking like he was struggling with his words. Finally he snapped, "What order do you want us to do this in?"

"Hmm?" she asked, her voice high and her eyes wide.

"I know that's what you want," he mumbled, looking away. "So just say it and I'll set it up that way, alright?"

"Uh…"

"Just hurry up, I need to get changed and start warming up."

"I wanted it to be presidents, treasurers, secretaries, vice presidents, sergeant at arms."

"Done," he told her. "Have them line up at their stations accordingly."

"Wait!" Lillian called when he started to walk away. "Why are you agreeing to this? It seems really unlike you."

Dirk stared at her for a moment longer before turning away, shaking his head. "Don't make a bad case for yourself. Just say thank you and go back to your side."

"…Thank you."

The Oracle and Hiro stood before Lillian with curious expressions. "What was all that about?" the Oracle asked, looking over her shoulder at Dirk as he tore his shirt off and pulled on the PE shirt instead. "He looks angry, but it didn't seem like a necessarily bad conversation."

"Change of line up!" Dirk called, loud enough to be heard by everyone as he seized the shorts and headed towards the bathroom. "It's going to be presidents, treasurers, secretaries, vice presidents, sergeant at arms. Line up at your stations and warm up. Don't talk to the other side until after the competition is over."

Both the Oracle and Hiro looked stunned at this change, but honored Dirk's wishes and backed away from Lillian, mouthing _good luck _as they went. Lillian did the same before being caught by Kana, who was incredibly nervous. "My entire team is counting on me for the win, since it's only me and Dirk who are really athletic," he mumbled, wincing. "What's your plan? It was you who requested the change in line up, wasn't it?"

Lillian looked over her shoulder, glad to see that Georgia was distracted in leading the other officers in exercises. "I'm trying to set it up to bolster my own team's strengths…so hopefully we can get through it quicker and Georgia gets a head start so you don't need to choose between throwing it or not."

He breathed a sigh of relief, but smiled at her. "You know, Georgia…she might not need a head start to keep up with me."

"Huh?"

"You'll see," he grinned. He looked incredibly more relaxed at her words despite his indifferent reply, slipping his hands into his pocket and rolling his shoulders backwards. "Good luck, Lillian. And thanks. I owe you."

* * *

"So, what's going on?" Georgia asked the second Lillian returned to the group, having come to grab her PE uniform to change into.

Lillian turned a victorious grin towards her group. "It's all been approved! Line up in the order we discussed, they're completely okay with it."

Everyone cheered excitedly, and Lillian hurried towards the bathroom, changing quickly into her uniform. Nervous energy was buzzing in her stomach, but she still hoped that she would be able to do it. Ash, Cam, Laney, and Georgia – she believed in them all. Hopefully with their combined strengths, Kana wouldn't even have to worry. Still, she fretted over the possibilities. Dirk was always a wild card, no matter what competition it was. But ten points…she couldn't lose that. It was her opportunity to make up for her mistakes. Everything was set up for a win…now she just had to hope that when set in action her plan lived up to her expectations.

When she exited the bathrooms she was stunned to find Ash waiting there, already changed. He was wearing a suspicious expression, his arms folded as he leaned against the wall. "You said Dirk wasn't talking to you," he pointed out. "But I saw that it was him you talked to, and him who switched the lineup for you. What's going on?"

"I don't know," Lillian admitted, shrugging. She felt uncomfortable under Ash's gaze, feeling once again like she had done something wrong but not sure what it was. "We aren't talking. He…he specifically asked me not to talk to him again. But he said he'd switch the lineup and when I asked him why he told me not to push it any further so I dropped it. Don't worry about it either. Let's just worry about winning."

The doubtful expression didn't leave Ash's face. "That's not like you at all," he replied. "What happened to the girl who said the entire point of these clubs is to reconcile them?"

"I do want to reconcile the clubs, but I'd also like to win. Is that so wrong?" she protested, holding her clothes up to her chest and frowning. "Everyone else in the club wants to win, and I want to make up for…for not being the best vice president I could be."

"You're not telling me something," Ash answered, frowning back at her. "What's really going on, Lil? Just tell me."

"Nothing!" Lillian argued, turning away. "Don't worry so much. Let's just do our best and get out there and compete."

She hurried past him and out the door, rushing back towards her group. Her chest pounded with guilt and frustration as she went. _He's right_, she fretted. _It's not like me to say things like 'let's just focus on winning.' And I _am _hiding something. What am I supposed to say? Now is not the time to tell him about why we were docked points. _She joined Cam and Laney's side and ignored their questioning looks as she launched into the exercises Georgia was leading, hands balled into fists.

* * *

Lillian and Hiro stood, waiting, at the end of the balance beam. They would have to sprint a short distance, climb over the wall, sprint a bit more and slap Georgia and Kana's hands. Georgia was scowling at Kana, face turned the other direction, but she was always looking ready to compete. Unfortunately, Ash didn't seem to have mastered that same determination. Being next to Dirk was already throwing him off, and Lillian suspected what she had said hadn't helped either. Behind her, Laney and Reina were waiting at the start of the balance beams, looking highly uncomfortable. Only Cam and Nori looked relatively calm.

"I'm surprised Dirk switched up the lineup," Hiro murmured. "He must be counting on Kana to pull us all together."

"Is Kana really fast?" Lillian asked, realizing how stupid she must seem.

Hiro smiled and shrugged. "Well, you would have no way of knowing, but he was the track star last year. He didn't join this year so he could focus more on horses. He's incredibly fit and the strongest person I know. I have no doubt that he'll amaze everyone today. Georgia will have a run for her money – but she's quite fast too. I'm really not sure who will win this contest."

Lillian looked nervously from Ash at the starting line to Georgia near the finishing line and nodded. "Yeah. Neither am I. …Good luck though, Hiro."

"And you as well," he replied, polite even during a race. They looked warily towards Principal Rutger and Principal Ina, the latter of who was brandishing a gun that made the former appear very nervous. Lillian waved to Ash, who rose his hand in reply, and the shot of a gun silenced the crowd.

Ash sprang from the starting line, but when compared to Dirk he could be merely jogging. Dirk tore away from the starting line with a dead set determination Lillian would have never expected from him. _Of course he wants to win,_ she realized with a grimace. _I knew that he wanted to beat Ash. But he's pushing himself pretty hard here…_

To counter, Ash pushed himself beyond his limits as well. Lillian covered her mouth, full of worry for both boys as they blew madly through the starting strides, nearly slamming into Nori and Cam. Dirk reached the tires first, and Nori began to stumble through them. Ash reached Cam and they slapped hands and Cam set off, amazing the crowd and Lillian with his easy clearance. Each step was deliberate and accurate, and he passed Nori in hardly any time at all. Laney cheered wildly for him, leaping up and down with excitement as he cleared the tires and then raced towards her, their hands brushing gently against each other. Laney strode slowly and carefully down the balance beam, but it clearly outshone Reina's staggering, awkward attempt. _Why did Dirk do this?_ Lillian fretted. _Does he believe in Kana that much? They've been placed in an order that set them completely off. _

"Here it comes," Hiro murmured. "You're up first. Best of luck!"

Laney high fived her and Lillian wasted no time returning the pleasantries, instead bolting for the wall. She slammed into it and scurried over the edge in a disgraceful manner that would have shamed her earlier PE teacher. She ignored the painful fall she took when she cleared the other side, and listened instead to Georgia scream, "Come on, Lillian! It's okay! Just get right back up!" She forced herself to her feet and pressed on despite the pain, hearing Hiro reach the wall behind her. Kana met her eyes, looking terrified, and she reached her hand out before her, Georgia reaching out as well until their fingertips brushed.

And then Georgia sprang forward and the crowd screamed as she raced towards the finish line. She had been given the longest stretch to run, but she didn't seem to be having an issue with it at all. Hiro came up behind them, slapping Kana's hand. "Good luck!" he called after him. Kana shot one last desperate look towards Lillian, and then he ran.

Only ran was an understatement. Kana was close to being a blur as he shot forward, easily clearing the distance Georgia had managed to put between them. Georgia was incredibly fast, but the unfortunate news was that Kana was simply faster. They were neck and neck, Georgia clearly pushing herself as far as she could. The finish line was only several feet away…they were getting close…Kana was pulling ahead…

Everyone shouted in shock as Kana sprawled to the floor, slamming into the curb that covered the track when the finish line was just within his reach. Georgia barreled into the ribbon through sheer momentum and turned, her face twisted with horror as Kana clutched his leg in pain, swearing loudly. Hiro and Lillian raced towards him, as did the other club officers and the staff. Georgia knelt beside him, hands covering her face. "Is it broken?" she whispered. "Kana…Kana…"

Hiro dropped to his knees beside him, reaching for his leg. "It's not broken," he told Georgia, who covered her eyes and shook. Kana stared at her, amazed, as Lillian set a sympathetic arm around her. "I think it might be sprained, though," Hiro murmured, returning his hands to himself as Principal Rutger came whizzing by on his golf cart. "Let me help you."

Lillian met Kana's eyes, but they were completely unreadable as Hiro hoisted him up and helped him to the golf cart. Principal Ina was struggling to keep the students from the scene. Georgia was sobbing.

_Did he do it on purpose…or was it really just an accident?_ Lillian felt frustration surge through her – frustration that her attempts to help hadn't been enough. But still, even worse to her was the sense of victory and relief. It disgusted her, and she tightened her hold on Georgia, who clearly wasn't holding up much better. "I never wanted him to get hurt," she whispered. "I feel awful. What if…what if he did it…what if he threw this?"

"I don't know if he did or if he didn't, Georgia…but it's going to be okay. He's going to be okay." Lillian offered her a reassuring nod, but the redhead wasn't looking at her and therefore missed it as she cried into her hands. Laney took charge of her, gesturing for Lillian to rest up.

"You fell pretty hard," she murmured sympathetically, hugging Georgia as though she were a child. "You should go sit down somewhere."

Lillian's body did ache from the impact, but it was a trifling pain she knew wouldn't truly bother her until the next day came and bruises encased the side of her body that had taken the brunt of the fall. Still, she allowed Ash to hoist her up and walked away from Georgia, sensing that this was not the girl's proudest moment and would later become something she wished she could overlook. Ash set his arm around Lillian, frowning over his shoulder. "It's always hard when something like this happens," he mumbled. "It makes even people in the audience cry, thinking that right before them somebody got hurt."

Lillian understood what he was trying to say – how strange is was than an injury that would be handled with a level head in many other situations was handled so dramatically during the club competition. But they both knew the answer to that as well. Everyone was raging with guilt and frustration because it could have been so easily avoided, because it was something Bluebell was all secretly glad for, because it was something Konohana was all secretly angry at him for. "I don't want to win anymore. Not if it means one of my friends has to get hurt."

Ash looked relieved by this declaration and nodded, passing his bottle of water to her. "Same here, Lil. Same here."

* * *

On Saturday the Oracle and Lillian ended up meeting at the park, Lillian having been called randomly by her friend and stunned with the invitation. They sat cross legged before rose bushes, watching a ladybug carefully navigate a route down a yellow rose's prickly stem. With any of her other friends, Lillian likely would have been pushed into something athletic or some sort of game, but found she was perfectly content to sit with the Oracle and watch a ladybug go about its life.

"Congratulations on winning," the Oracle noted with a smile. "It's an unfortunate reason to win, but you all deserved it so much anyways. Georgia and Kana were both fantastic. And now you have four points! We're out of the negatives too – runner up got three points so there wasn't too much of a discrepancy between scores."

"Thanks," Lillian replied, though she felt somewhat reluctant to take the compliment. Everything in her screamed that she did not deserve it. "We're not too far off now. You could win and overtake us."

The Oracle shrugged, laying back on the grass and staring at the blue sky unfolded above her. "I suppose. Winning is very important to me, but I'm wondering at what cost we'd have to go through to win…"

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm…what do I mean…" the Oracle drifted off, spinning her finger around a tiny yellow flower that had grown among the blades of grass surrounding her. "I think what I mean is…I want to always be able to sit here with you and talk without feeling like I'm doing something my club would hate me for. I don't want winning to make rivals of us. Everyone wants to win, but the tricky part is recognizing that. It's hard to take a step back from yourself and see that it's not just you who want to win – your opponent wants to win just as much. I want to win, but I don't want you to lose."

Lillian smiled, lying down beside her. She perched her head on her hand, watching children breeze through the playground, laughing wildly and completely unaware of the problems of two nearby high school girls. "I understand," she murmured. _I felt the same thing about Dirk the day of the first club competition_, she recalled. And, truth be told, she had felt the same way the day before as she looked out at her friends, but had suppressed it with her desire to redeem her club.

"You did a good job of being vice president yesterday," the Oracle told her with a grin, changing the subject without another word directed at her deep contemplation. The words they had exchanged evaporated easily. "You knew exactly what your club needed to win and you went after it. I'm impressed."

"It only worked out because Dirk was nice enough to switch things around for me…for whatever reason," Lillian shrugged. Perhaps she had been a good vice president, but still…she had been forced once more to rely on Dirk, and Ash's pained face continuously sprung up in the back of her mind. How many times would she be able to deceive him before he gave up on trying to figure out what was going on with her? She collapsed into the grass, allowing herself to lie limply atop it, and considered calling him up as soon as she and the Oracle parted.

The Oracle frowned, prying the flower from the grass' hold. "It was strange of him, but I can't say I'm too surprised. He's really a fool."

Lillian raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear those words, but the Oracle once again shifted the conversation, gesturing towards a child attempting to climb the monkey bars. She suggested they help him and raced off, forcing Lillian to pull herself up – her entire body ached with the intensity of her bruised right side – and charge after her. She felt like she understood a little bit more about what it was like to be friends with the Oracle, who knew everything about everyone but refused to let you know anything about her. It was like holding water with her bare hands – tangible for a moment before it slipped through her fingers, unable to be picked up again.

* * *

"What did you call me out here for?" Ash asked, hugging his jacket tighter around him to fend off the chill night wind. Saturday was drawing to its end, her day with the Oracle having dragged on far longer than Lillian had expected as they played with the children and then played themselves. She was still wearing shorts and a t shirt, and had been waiting at the park's entrance for twenty minutes.

"I wanted to apologize to you," she admitted, her voice small. "I wasn't myself yesterday. I'm sorry if I've been acting weird."

Ash watched her for a moment, frowning. "Tell me the truth," he said finally. "What's going on?"

Lillian was silent for a moment, staring down at her feet, which were encased in flip flops – she had been struggling to enjoy the last warm days of the season and now regretted it. _How much should I tell him_? She wondered. How much was appropriate to tell him? How much would she regret telling him? How much did she want to tell him? She looked up into his concerned eyes and whispered, "I don't want you to be angry with me."

He tensed up even more, but struggled to hide it. "Just say it. Nothing is going to change the fact that you and I are best friends."

"I…" Lillian hesitated, staring at the asphalt, wondering how other people had managed to confess their secrets. How had Kana told Georgia that he liked her? How had Hiro told her the truth about the photograph? She hung her head and told him in a nervous voice, "I never took supplementary lessons. I lied when I said I had the money for the fundraiser in order. I worked those two weeks in the cafeteria with the help of Hiro, the Oracle…and Dirk. Mikhail helped out too. Laney and Cam figured out when someone put a photograph of me working in your locker that Cam found and they covered for me until I was able to tell you myself. I never had anything prepared. We were docked six points because the buzzer found out that I was relying so much on Konohana for help."

She didn't dare look up to see Ash's expression. Moments dripped by, agonizingly slow, and she continued to stare at the paved ground beneath her feet. Where was the ladybug off to now? Was it tiptoeing down the stem of a rosebush, or taking refuge from the colder nights? Lillian longed to disappear so she wouldn't have to hear Ash's reply. She had lied to him and disappointed him, and she felt the urge to cry.

Warmth slid over her, and she looked up to see that Ash was no longer wearing his jacket. He tugged it over her shoulders, meeting her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered, his voice strained.

"I didn't want to make things harder for you," she admitted, her voice equally troubled. "It was my fault you had to take the club president role in the first place, and I just wanted to help you out…I wanted to set up a successful fundraiser to help you and everyone else, but I wanted to do it by myself…I never meant to get so many people involved in my mess-up. I just wanted to make things work, but I overcomplicated things and I kept trying to handle it as secretly as possible so you wouldn't have to suffer from my mistake."

Ash yanked her forward, holding her against his chest. Her eyes were wide as his arms wrapped around her, his head on her shoulders. "Don't say that again," he murmured. "I want to be the one to get you out of these tight spots – not Dirk. Don't ever be afraid to come to me for help. I don't care how stupid you think whatever you did was, I'll never think something you did was stupid. I'm not angry at you at all. You just tried to do what you thought was best. But please..._please _Lillian…come to me for help from now on. Stop trying to take care of these things without troubling me."

Lillian rested her head against his chest, nodding. "Okay," she answered, her voice soft.

The moments continued to pass slowly by, but the wait for new words was not agonizing this time around. Lillian found herself willing time to continue its drudgery. In fact, it could stop entirely if it wanted. An overwhelming relief flooded her system, and she felt no urge to lose that feeling, or the warmth Ash was offering her with his jacket and his embrace. The park's gates closed behind them, and they stood on its doorstep anyways, listening as the wind whistled through the autumn leaves.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Lillian asked Kana as they walked into class together, having met in the hallway on their way. He was limping, but it was impossible for her to tell how genuine it was. Considering Kana's devotion to Georgia, she really couldn't be sure.

He shrugged. "Pretty awful. I let down all of Konohana…and I made Georgia cry. How is she doing?"

"She calmed down afterwards. She was afraid that you threw the competition for her and hurt yourself in the process. She was really worried about you, you know."

Kana smiled despite the situation, though it was a clearly reluctant one. Lillian didn't blame him. Knowing that Ash had been so concerned for her all this time…it was a nice feeling, but also a harrowing, terrible one. "I'm glad she's feeling better. And now both teams are out of the negatives…I'm glad it's over. Glad I'm not a club officer, either…though this week they'll probably shift to contests that utilize all members rather than just officers, and I'll probably have to go through this all again."

They took their seats beside each other and laughed, and Dirk and the Oracle turned towards them. "Is your leg alright, Kana?" the Oracle asked, tilting her head to the side.

"It'll be fine in a couple days," he mumbled, shrugging. "Thanks."

Dirk was watching him suspiciously, but did say, "You did good anyways. It was pretty impressive."

"You were impressive too. And Ash. I didn't know either of you were that fast," Kana noted curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"He's not that fast," the Oracle said, making a face. "He only went so fast because he used all of the energy he had to make sure he was able to beat Ash. In a real race that was longer than that tiny distance, he would have lost."

Dirk shot a nasty look towards her, and Lillian and Kana exchanged a stunned expression. The Oracle and Dirk clearly did not always get along, but there was always a thread of understanding and camaraderie between the two – something that suggested they were always able to rely on each other. Lillian wasn't sure what was going on, but lately this bond had seemed to be cracking from the inside out. "You're one to talk," Dirk snapped, "with your fake excuse note. Kana would never have gotten hurt if you would just _go _to PE rather than faking doctor's excuses."

Lillian felt a wave of understanding – after watching the Oracle bounce around cheerfully all Saturday she had been wondering what medical issue would excuse her from the competition. It seemed just like something the Oracle would do, too.

"Like that matters in the grand scheme of things. I was spared from humiliation but you got the full brunt of it by revealing how important it is to you to beat your childhood friend you can't stand the idea of losing to again – whose the pathetic one in this situation?"

Even Lillian was silenced by these words. Kana stared, open mouthed, at the girl in front of him. Dirk rose from his seat and stormed out, leaving Mr. Hamilton to stare confusedly after him. Lillian leapt to her feet and hurried to his desk without thinking, asking if she could go retrieve him. Mr. Hamilton shrugged and gestured for her to go off, mumbling, "Hurry back." It seemed even teachers were uncomfortable with the emotions of high school students.

"What was that all about?" Kana asked the Oracle, frowning as Lillian left the room.

The Oracle stared at her desk, shaking hands covering her face. She didn't reply to Kana, and he didn't ask again.

* * *

"Wait! Dirk, _wait_!" Lillian cried, rushing through the halls as he stormed down them. He finally spun around and faced her before he turned the corner, his eyes flashing.

"Just go, Lillian. I don't want to snap at you right now just because I'm mad at her."

Lillian did not go, however. She stood before him, frowning. She wasn't sure what he could say that would be meaner than everything else he had told her, after all. She was already not supposed to talk to him and had been instructed to leave him alone. What else could he do – toss in that he hated her? She wouldn't even believe him if he tried. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, though she already anticipated what his answer would be.

"There's nothing to say," he mumbled, turning away, his hands hanging loosely in his pockets. "She's been like that for a while. She knows me inside and out, so she knows what to say to hurt my feelings. She's been saying stupid comments like that all week, but I've ignored them. That one…it really pisses me off."

He didn't face her, instead staring at the rows of lockers. Lillian took a step closer, leaving a foot of distance between them. "What she said…it wasn't true. You're not pathetic, and you didn't embarrass yourself. Whatever is going on with her…like you said, she knows what hurts you. She's only trying to upset you. I doubt she really thinks what she said is true. I don't know what would convince her to say something like that but it's something going on with her, not you."

"I _am _the pathetic one," Dirk hissed, turning on her and stepping forward, surprising her so much she stepped back and bumped into the lockers. They clanged from her impact, and Dirk sighed, shaking his head. "She wasn't making that up. I'm embarrassed of myself – for always working so hard to beat him. It's not like I even have to try hard. I've beaten him in school every year, I've beaten him in every sports competition, I've always been able to one up him in anything he's attempted to do…except…_except_…"

He drifted off, his eyes falling to the floor. Lillian watched him silently for a moment, amazed with the change in the conversation. Dirk and Ash's relationship had clearly always been a volatile and complicated one, but she had never expected Dirk to own up to these feelings. She had suspected them, of course, been able to suspect how desperately each boy wanted to beat the other…but this suggested something even deeper. "Dirk?" she asked nervously, worried about the frustration in his eye.

His hand landed beside her head, and he stared at her for several long seconds, his gaze unwavering. "Forget about it," he told her finally. "Didn't I say to leave me alone?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered. It was her turn to drop her eyes to the ground. "I've been trying to leave you alone but…I was worried about you when you left…I didn't want you to stay out here by yourself and beat yourself up…"

"Thank you," he interrupted, smiling hesitantly. "I…appreciate it. But if you always come running after me, you're going to upset your boyfriend."

"Don't tease me! Just say thank you and leave it at that."

"I'm not teasing," he murmured, his face close to hers for another minute before he pulled away, grabbing her shirt sleeve and pulling her along. He didn't say another word, and neither did Lillian. She allowed him to pull her back towards the classroom, watching him with confusion and relief. It seemed that he wanted her to return to pretending she didn't know him and treating him without familiarity, but still…for a moment he had treated her like a friend, and that gave her something to smile about.


	14. The True Culprit

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: This is one of my shorter chapters. I realized that if I dragged it out anymore I was going to have to wait to publish it for another day or two, so I decided to offer up this and then work on the next chapter so I could keep this story running at an even schedule. I'm sorry for publishing this so late in the day everyone! I usually like to add updates in the morning, but it's nine here in California and I'm revising this chapter to post haha. Thank you all for the super kind words, I've gotten a lot of new reviewers lately and that is fantastic. I'm very grateful to you all. I hope you continue to enjoy this story. Thanks for reading! (:_

* * *

Kana and Lillian met at lunch the next day, having agreed upon it during the remainder of the tense class period. They sat together at the tree again, ignoring his friends' comments. "It was pretty weird yesterday," he murmured from his side of the tree, where he was faced with the view of t shirts covered with grass stains and freshman floundering with a football. "I've never seen the Oracle act like that. I mean, she can be scary, but that was just…mean. And as scary as she is, she's not mean."

Lillian's view was of a girl and a boy sitting close together, their hands next to each other but not _quite _touching. The girl was wearing the boy's jacket even though the weather was not particularly cold. She touched her own shoulders, thinking of the weight Ash's jacket would have on them. "It was weird," she agreed. "I didn't think she had it in her. I thought she'd always be calm. I have no idea what happened between the two of them. Neither will say anything to me about it. I hope they settle whatever it is, though."

"Same here," he answered, ripping a large piece of bark that had been pulling free from the tree above his head. Lillian leaned around the tree to see and laughed, shaking her head in a mock display of disapproval.

She wanted to ask – the weight of the question had been holding her down ever since Friday – but she couldn't quite get it out. She wasn't sure how willing Kana would be to talk about it, let alone what she would do with the answer. What was done was done, and there was no taking it back. But still…

"I threw it," Kana admitted abruptly when he noticed her watching him, his voice soft. "Of course I threw it. If I had been the reason she lost…it would have made her hate me even more than she already does. I didn't want to be the reason you all lost, especially since I'm not even a club officer. It wasn't fair for me to be competing in the first place. But I feel terrible. Everyone on the Konohana side is so disappointed, but they feel too bad about me being 'hurt' to say anything. Hiro knows I threw it, of course. He lied about my leg being sprained for me as soon as he realized that I was perfectly fine. It's so frustrating. I don't want Konohana to win – I want Georgia to win. But I still…I've been going to these club meetings, seeing how hard Dirk and Hiro and everyone else has been working to win…I let everyone down."

Lillian looked further around the tree as he turned his head to the side, but still couldn't see his face. She could imagine, however, the expression on it. She had long since realized the cheerful, easy-going front he projected was only half-true. The real Kana was a thoughtful, frustrated boy who was trying to reconcile his past self with the self he wanted to be. Throwing his enemies a win for the girl he loved and having to deal solely with the consequences…she offered up a sympathetic _hmm_. "It's okay, Kana. Konohana has plenty of chances to win, and I'm sure they'll gain back what they lost soon enough, and nobody will remember that you lost. You don't have to worry that you really hurt your club…though I know it feels pretty terrible, knowing they were all counting on you."  
"Your friend went through it too. Ash," Kana noted. "How'd he handle it?"

"He just did his best to help out the club and gave it his all in this competition," Lillian answered. "There's not much else to do."

"He didn't throw it though," Kana mused. "I could have easily won. I was a track star. Georgia has to know I threw it…"

"I'm not sure she knows what to believe. But…don't let yourself feel guilty for the entire club's loss. Just do your best during the next competition. Give it your all the next time you compete and even it out."

Kana laughed, shrugging. "Even it out, huh…that sounds like pretty terrible advice, but I guess you're right. That's all I can do. I didn't expect to feel so bad. I mean…the last thing I want is to see Georgia upset. I didn't think I'd care about seeing everyone from my club so upset if I at least knew Georgia won. But…I feel awful. And I feel even worse that I made her cry…again."

"I guess it means she cares about you, as much as she acts otherwise," Lillian mused, more to herself than to him. She too had been amazed with Georgia's reaction. For a girl who usually spoke harshly and pushed everyone to their limits to win, Kana's injury had devastated her. The thought that he might have done it for her benefit made her feel even worse. _Maybe she cares about him in the same way he cares about her? _Lillian wondered. However, as Ash had said, she apparently had feelings for someone else. Fresh sympathy flowed from her to the boy on the other side of the tree, who was suffering the weight of his entire club's loss for a girl who loved someone else.

"That does make me feel a little better," Kana murmured. "But I don't think Georgia will ever like me the way I like her. Anyways, I have something to tell you about that buzzer thing going on."

"Huh? What is it?" Lillian asked, shimmying around the tree until she rested beside him.

He laughed at her reaction, making a face. "Don't get so excited. I'm still not _sure_ who the buzzer is…but I did notice something. Your friend was in Principal Rutger's office even though the club competition was going on – the principal took me there to wait for the nurse. What was his name…um…right, right, Mikhail! He was sitting in one of the chairs, and he excused himself as soon as he saw me. And Rutger said, 'Thanks for letting me know,' when he was on his way out. Pretty suspicious, if you ask me."

Lillian narrowed her eyes, thinking of how helpful Mikhail had initially been with the task of earning donations, and how she had earlier dismissed the idea that _he _was the informant. Still, he was one of her suspects…and with this information…along with the fact that he had been slipping away continuously during lunch…

"I'll try to find out some more about him. Thanks, Kana," she replied, thinking of Georgia as she nodded, feeling a flood of determination. She wouldn't let what had happened the year before happen again – for her club _and _for Georgia.

* * *

The Oracle and Dirk still weren't talking during class, and Kana and Lillian exchanged a frustrated look. They hadn't bothered dwelling on the topic of their friends' argument, but Lillian wished they had – she wished she had _something _up her sleeve to make them forgive each other.

When Mr. Hamilton announced that they were going to be shifting into partners Lillian turned expectantly towards the Oracle, who always asked to group up with her. Much to her shock, however, Dirk had spun around even faster than the Oracle and instantly asked, "Be my partner?"

"Uh…okay," Lillian murmured, shooting a sideways glance towards Kana, who shrugged and turned towards the Oracle. Lillian couldn't bring herself to look at _her _face, anticipating a great deal of frustration. She hoped that Dirk's proposal had a purpose rather than just a vindictive feel. Still, knowing him, she didn't let her hopes lift too much.

Dirk moved his desk and Lillian's around until they were sitting side by side, each turned in their chairs to face the other. The Oracle was doing the same for her and Kana, but very pointedly facing their desks out in the other direction. Any other day Lillian and Kana would have switched seats, and they would have all spun their desks towards each other and acted as a group of four despite being broken into partnerships. Today, it seemed, was not like those other days. Mr. Hamilton let a paper fall between the pair and then moved onto Kana and the Oracle, raising an eyebrow but letting the issue drop.

"What's the point of this?" Lillian asked. "I thought you wanted me to pretend I didn't know you."

"Just forget about that for now," he sighed, shaking his head. "You're so difficult. Most people would just follow the flow and act like everything was normal. If you keep pointing out every little change in the way I treat you, you make it awkward."

Lillian prepared an argument, but remembered her earlier idea that what she lacked that others possessed was the ability to accord to social norms, and simply pretend that everything was normal no matter how strange it was. "Okay," she muttered, rolling her eyes and glancing over at the Oracle, who had turned slightly in her seat. They smiled at each other and waved, but Lillian had a feeling that whatever was troubling the Oracle was bothering her far more than she was letting on – and she was already letting on a great deal.

Dirk glanced from her to the Oracle and sighed once more. "Go ahead and ask."

"Okay. Why are you two acting like this?" Lillian asked, relieved.

It seemed he had been hoping she still would withhold the question, but he didn't scold her. He spun his pencil across the desk for a moment and then mumbled, "I really don't know why she's acting like this lately. I'm sure I must have done _something _to upset her, but usually she just tells me and I apologize for it…this time around, I have absolutely no idea why she's so upset. You're better off talking to her about it, though I imagine she'll avoid the subject at all costs."

Lillian released a disappointed breath, tapping her pencil against the worksheet before them. It seemed their assignment would only be for the day, and then she would return to being the Oracle's default partner. He obviously had no clue what was going on in his own dispute with his friend, and the conversation was lulling into an uncomfortable silence. She glanced behind her, out the window and towards the graying sky, and then hesitantly asked, "Are you and Hiro alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you two seemed to be really good friends, but lately you haven't been talking much."

Dirk glanced at her and then laughed, shaking his head. "You get so involved in other people's business. Why don't you take some time out and focus on your own?"

"I don't have any problems I particularly need to focus on for myself. Everything I'm curious and worried about has to do with other people," Lillian replied. Kana and Georgia's problems, the mysteries of Reina's actions, Cam and Laney's confusing bond, the Oracle's abrupt change towards Dirk, Mikhail's suspicious behavior, Hiro's feelings for Reina, and especially Dirk and Ash's relationship…she let her head drop onto her desktop, heaving a sigh. She had a lot of things to figure out, and had hardly made any headway into any of them. It seemed her friends would have to wait for her to figure out what was going on.

"What is it?" Dirk asked, frowning.

"All of the people I consider my friends…they all have a lot of problems," she groaned, pushing herself upright. "I've got to pay more attention to getting some answers about everything."

He rolled his eyes, laughing. "You're ridiculous. You don't need to take care of your friends' problems. Focus on yourself for once."

"But-"

Dirk covered her mouth, catching her off guard. "I'll talk to Hiro again, alright? Would that take one problem off of your list?"

She nodded, his hand still suppressing her speech.

"Then stop worrying about all the other problems for one class block. Just help me out with the assignment." He released his hold on her and turned to his worksheet, easily answering the first few questions in the time it took for Lillian to write her name on the top. She hesitated, preparing to ask him a few questions about his valedictorian status now that she had been reminded of his intelligence, but changed her mind. _I'll worry about everything else before I bother trying to deal with _this _problem_, she thought with a smile, her eyes scanning Dirk's entire form. He was a mystery she wasn't sure she was ready to solve just yet.

* * *

Laney and Georgia were already in the club room when Lillian entered, though they were separated by a mass of desks Georgia was attempting to clear off. Laney was busy with the notes that had to be put on the whiteboard every day, and the room was silent save for the sounds of desks scuffing the tiled floor. "What happened in here?" Lillian asked, depositing her belongings against the wall and seizing a desk of her own. She lacked the strength Georgia possessed and that was evident in her struggle to heave the desk up to stack it, but Georgia looked grateful nonetheless.

"One of the classrooms had some issue, so they had to use this room as a backup room. It happens a lot throughout the year. It's just frustrating that they never put the desks away when they're done." She made a face and raised one desk over her head, easily stacking it while Lillian wriggled under the weight of hers until it bounced up and landed on top of three others. Both girls turned to the next desk, but Georgia kept a watchful eye on Lillian, clearly struggling with something.

Lillian didn't notice it until a good three quarters of the desks were cleared off and Mikhail had joined them, doing his best to stack the array of chairs throughout the room for them. "What's wrong?" she finally asked, looking at the tower of desks they had haphazardly created and wondering if Georgia was merely sharing her fear that one of those stacks would topple over and crush them.

Clearly it was not bothering her – Georgia hopped onto a chair and slammed a desk on top of one of the massive stacks without an inkling of hesitation. When she dropped back to level ground beside Lillian, she murmured, "I saw you with Kana at lunch today, and I was wondering…do you know if he threw the competition or not? Is his leg really hurt? Is he alright?"

Lillian's eyes widened slightly, but she did her best to hide her surprise. Acting shocked was a sure way to convince Georgia to never ask such questions again. "I don't know if he threw it or not," Lillian lied. "But I think he's okay. It doesn't seem to be troubling him too much, so don't worry."

Georgia let loose a sigh of relief, her hands clenching into fists and then uncurling as though she was finally able to relax. "I'm glad," she admitted. "If that idiot had seriously hurt himself just trying to help me out…I would never forgive him! I hate pity. Anyways, don't tell anybody I asked that, please. They'll assume I have a thing for him too." She rolled her eyes and then stalked off towards the next desk, heaving it up and dragging the leg of another behind her as she went.

"Is she the only one who doesn't know?" Ash asked, his elbow landing on Lillian's shoulder as he leaned against her. Everything in his posture suggested he was completely calm, but the question posed let Lillian know he was still being troubled by her revelation that she had lied about "supplementary lessons" and the club's standing.

She winced and looked guiltily up at him, nodding. "Yeah. I know she'll be furious with me."

"Probably," he agreed. He offered her a gentle smile, winking. "Don't worry so much. How was your day?"

"Hmm…it was…okay."

Ash laughed, shaking his head. "Obviously not. What's wrong?"

There was no point in making something up or concealing the truth this time, Lillian decided. She wasn't sure Ash would allow her to lie to him again. He knew what signs to look for in her facial expression and behavior to see if she was lying, and he wouldn't let his doubts rest now that he knew his gut instinct had been right the first time around. "I guess I just feel bad for Kana, and…the Oracle and Dirk are having this weird argument and…I sort of got involved…I'm a little worried the Oracle might be mad at me for thinking I sided with him."

"Why would she think you sided with him?" Ash asked. He posed the question innocently enough, but it still left Lillian wondering if his intentions in asking the question were really to sort out her issue.

Lillian retold a paraphrased version of the recent events regarding the Oracle and Dirk's argument, including a brief comment about how Dirk had been troubled at the suggestion that he was pathetic in striving to beat Ash. She was relieved to see that Ash, unlike Dirk, did not take pleasure from knowing his enemy was troubled by him. When she had finished he smiled, pulling her along towards the club officer tables. "You do worry about other people's problems too much," he told her gently, plopping into a seat beside her, close to the podium. "Sometimes friends argue. It sounds like this is something Dirk and the Oracle have to settle themselves. I know you want to help everyone, but it might be in your best interest not to get involved in this one, Lil."

"But why?" she protested, frowning.

Ash hesitated, looking out towards the window. "Have you ever considered," he hesitated and took a deep breath before continuing on with, "that the Oracle might have feelings for Dirk?"

Lillian opened and closed her mouth several times before saying, "But that's not…"

"Because she's different?" Ash countered, meeting her eyes once more. "Just because she seems so different compared to everyone else here doesn't mean she lost the capability to have feelings for another person. She's doing a good job of balancing her feelings right now with her friendship with y- er, others. So if you get involved in this…it might cause some issues for you. Just…sit out of this one. She can handle herself."

Lillian considered this for a few moments, stunned by the suggestion. She hated to admit that she did think that in a lot of ways the Oracle was beyond the typical high school emotions – she saw through the charades of everyday life and wanted something more. However, day by day the Oracle had revealed a side to her Lillian had never expected. She had become more and more human with each admittance. Having a crush on Dirk…well, Lillian thought that the Oracle could set her sights on someone who treated her much sweeter, but she felt like she understood what it was like to develop close feelings for someone you spent a lot of time with. And if one of her friends tried to get involved in _her _feelings…she wouldn't appreciate it. "You're right," she finally mumbled. "I don't know if she does or doesn't like Dirk in that way, but in case she does…I should let her solve her own issue with him. They've been friends for a long time, anyways."

"It'll work out," he told her, his voice reassuring and calm.

They smiled at each other, and Lillian laughed, pointing out, "You're really in-tune to other people's feelings, Ash."

He stared out towards the now obstacle free classroom, which was slowly filling up with Bluebell club members waiting for his leadership. "I know how she feels," he finally murmured, pushing himself to his feet. "You should go help Cam."

With that he walked off, leaving Lillian staring blankly after him. He looked over his shoulder with a smile and stood at the podium, calling the club to order, and the discussion was finished.

* * *

"I like doing this project with you two," Laney noted the next day in second block, smiling at Lillian and Mikhail. "Usually I _hate _group projects, but you two have been great. Thanks for helping out so much."

Lillian took a break from her close observation of Mikhail to smile and agree with Laney, but when that was done he instantly attracted her attention once more. Why didn't Mikhail ever walk with her to the lunchroom if they had the same class together beforehand? Why did he disappear for the first few minutes of lunch? Why did he seem to know all about the history of clubs thanks to Principal Rutger? Why did he talk so much to Principal Rutger in the first place? There was no solution Lillian could think of that fit better than the inevitable one she had come to believe – that he was a buzzer.

She wanted nothing more than to put her faith in Mikhail and give him the benefit of the doubt. Lillian didn't want to consider that one of her close friends, someone she had relied heavily upon, was the one forced to feed information back to Principal Rutger. She knew that no matter what, whoever it was of the three of them, they weren't attempting to 'sabotage' Bluebell like Georgia had worried – they were being forced to report the truth. But still, she needed to know who it was; if not to confront them as she had first considered, in an attempt to help Georgia, to protect them from Georgia's wrath and prevent Georgia from ever finding out. To plead with whoever it was to go to Principal Rutger and revoke those negated six points because Lillian had barely become affiliated with the clubs and didn't know any better. Because…because…because just like Georgia, she wanted to know.

"We are helping only as much as you are helping, which is a great deal," Mikhail replied cheerfully to Laney. "This project has been lovely. My past experiences with group projects have all been rather unfortunate…this has been a truly enjoyable time."

"What happened with your other projects?" Laney asked curiously, frowning when she saw Lillian's narrowed eyes. Lillian hastened to take on a more amiable expression, chastising herself. _I'm not Georgia_, she lectured. _I have no need to be angry with whoever the buzzer is. It's not their choice, it's not their fault._

Mikhail drummed his fingers against his violin case – he was always making some sort of music. Lillian hadn't gotten to hear much of it during the fundraiser, but the chords that had reached her were impressive and gorgeous. Laney said that he also sung, and she wondered if his voice was as melodic as it sounded in normal conversation. "I usually was given most of the work, or something of the sort," he admitted with a shrug. "I haven't had friends in classes before, so I'm usually forced to pair up with a random group of close friends who are not willing to share their time with me."

Lillian was caught off guard by this tidbit, but Laney didn't seem the least bit surprised. "I'm sorry," she told him, her voice drenched in sympathy. "You're always welcome to group up with me in any of the classes we have together."

She looked pointedly at Lillian, who tacked on, "Same here."

Mikhail smiled at them both – if he noticed Lillian's suspicion or hesitation, he pretended otherwise. Guilt spun like a web in Lillian's stomach, knotting up and catching in itself. Mikhail, who struggled so much to be included, who was so easily forgotten in the grand scheme of things, forced to be a buzzer as well. Her smile softened, full of the sympathy Laney had enough of to share. "I really do appreciate your help. Both of you," he told them, turning his grin towards each girl in turn. "How about I pay for us all to go out after we present the project on Friday?"

It was clear that he was holding his breath, terrified and eager to hear their answer. "Sure," Lillian and Laney echoed, grinning. _This week, I'll wait_, Lillian decided as she watched the relief spread across his face.

But when that week was over, she was going to confront him with the knowledge she had and see where it went from there.

* * *

Lillian waited alone outside of the school on Thursday morning, watching the thousands of patchy clouds embraced by the sky shaking in their place. One moment she looked up and they seemed stationary, and then the next moment when she looked up again it seemed they had crawled several feet to the right. She found herself wishing that Ash was there to watch it with her. But Ash, as it turned out, was not going to school at all that day so he could be there for Cheryl's career presentation speech in lieu of their mother. She smiled, leaning up against the cold brick walls that comprised the entire school building. Four years hadn't changed Cheryl's attachment to him at all.

And she would have continued to think about Ash and how much _he _had changed in the past four years had Reina not crept up behind her, tapped her on the shoulder, and said, "Hello."

It obviously startled her, and seeing the culprit shocked her even more. "Hey," she answered. "It's good to see you. We haven't talked since we were kids." She couldn't recall any particular memories she had with Reina when she was a child – she knew that Reina was close to Hiro, and they had been classmates for quite a while. They never truly bonded, however. They were miles apart personality wise – whereas Reina was quiet and stoic, speaking only when necessary and often deep in intrinsic though, Lillian was bubbly, loud, and outgoing. With added years of maturity she had managed to tone down her brash side, but it seemed Reina hadn't done much to break from her shell, judging from the stories Hiro had told her. _Hiro_, she thought once more. _He's in love with Reina, isn't he?_ It was hard to picture the sweet, gentle boy with the fiercely independent girl she had learned Reina was through him. Even now she gazed at Lillian with such an intimidating look the brunette felt anxious.

"I'm glad you're back in town," Reina told her. "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you earlier."

"Don't worry about it," Lillian replied, offering her a nervous grin. "I've heard a lot about you from Hiro. I'm glad to see you two are still friends."

Reina wasn't smiling, but there was a small tug at the mention of Hiro. It was instantly followed with a heavyset frown. "Actually, I came to talk to you because of Hiro. I _am _sorry I didn't say hello earlier…but we never were friends, exactly. It's still nice to see you though."

This caught Lillian off guard. She was used to people referring to their time in the past together with great enthusiasm and nostalgia. She also had to admit, however, that Reina's honesty was refreshing. Considering she was surrounded by people she simply couldn't understand most of the time, seeing Reina as who she was instantly was a nice change. "I understand," she murmured. "Is something wrong?"

Lillian should have been able to guess what Reina was coming to speak to her about, but she had vastly underestimated Hiro's affection for her. She had thought he would never admit to Reina that he had betrayed her confidence and told somebody about what she had done when, in fact, that was exactly what Hiro did. The alternative approach was to continue lying to her, and Hiro simply couldn't do that.

"You know that I was the one who put your photograph in Ash's locker," Reina began, and Lillian's eyes widened. "Hiro told me everything he told you and everything he went through to protect your position, along with Dirk and the Oracle. So…I want to talk to you about that. The bell is going to ring in twenty seconds, but could you meet me near the fountain at lunch?"

It took twenty seconds for Lillian to reply. The bell rang, and her agreement was drowned out by the noise. Reina walked away, shooting one knowing smile over her shoulder along with a wave of her hand, and only when she was out of sight did Lillian remember something Hiro had said about Reina.

_"She _always _gets her way."_


	15. That's Not My Name

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Here's a pretty long chapter to counter the last one. :P This story is getting into a point where a lot of secrets are going to be revealed, so I hope everyone enjoys that haha. Thanks for the reviews, they're definitely very kind. I hope you all like this chapter!_

* * *

"Are you sure you're gonna be alright?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll just go find the Oracle or something. Don't worry about me," Lillian told Laney, who was not asking if she was alright because she was going to spend break without her. Laney could see the far-off, anxious look in Lillian's eyes as she spun her hair around and around and around her right index finger. Concern over what Reina would want pulsed through the brunette. Was she going to try and push harder with outing her to her friends? Ash knew now, so there wasn't too much she could do in that direction, unless she intended to go after Georgia. Cam had been the one to find the photograph – did Reina know that? She couldn't know that. Did this have something to do with Cam? Did it have something to do with Laney, who Reina often watched closely during club competitions and competed hard against? Had Reina given up on her scheme? _She always gets her way._ It didn't seem likely.

Laney bid her friend farewell and headed down the hall, off to complete some errand she hadn't relayed the specifities of to Lillian. Something about Cam, was it? Lillian didn't dwell on it. Whatever Laney and Cam wanted to do they could do. As long as it didn't have anything to do with Reina. Was Reina upset about Cam and Laney? Lillian leaned against the wall outside her classroom, her idea of finding the Oracle forgotten momentarily. Cam and Laney had both denied any relationship beyond friendship between them to her, but she often caught them so close together it was suspicious. _Our relationship is like yours and Ash_, Laney had said. Lillian covered her face and sighed. If Ash was at school, he would probably be able to help her out with the situation. He tended to quickly and easily grasp the intentions of people, for the most part. After all, he had instantaneously come up with the issue beneath the Oracle and Dirk's feud.

"What's wrong with you?"

Dirk was standing beneath a blinking fluorescent light that was soon too run out of batteries and had his right hand in his pocket, his left straightening the collar of his shirt. For one very brief instant Lillian considered explaining everything to him – that his best friend had not been behind the stunt he was angry with him for, that Reina was the actual culprit, that the thought of Reina wanting to talk to her worried her solely because of the infinite potential of the conversation's direction and also a little because Reina was so intimidating it almost scared her. But what she ended up saying was, "That's not polite."

He smirked and leaned against the wall beside her, watching her from the corner of his eye though he was facing room fifteen, where Lillian had just had class with Laney and Mikhail and practiced presenting their project. In only a few more days she would have to decide what she wanted to do about Mikhail. Though that had weighed heavy on her mind in the morning, it was a distant thought, crowded out by Reina and Dirk.

"I meant that you look so upset. But you always look upset about something or other. What's bothering you this time? Is it something about Ash?"

It was a strange conclusion to jump to, but maybe it wasn't. Lillian wasn't sure if it was normal to guess Ash, considering he was her best friend, or if it was telling of Dirk's typical thought flow. It perplexed her too much to dwell upon any further. She shook her head and said, "No, he's not even here today."

"Why not?"

"Cheryl's class was having some career day thing and since Jessica has to work at the pet store all day, Ash asked Principal Rutger if it was alright if he took the day off for her, so he'll be at the elementary school all day."

Dirk smiled, still watching her only through his peripheral vision. A Konohana club member walked by and asked him what he was doing, but he didn't even answer. Lillian looked at him with a frown, but it was like he hadn't even _seen _the boy. "Cheryl hasn't changed much at all, has she? I bet she's thrilled to have Ash all to herself for the entire day."

He seemed to realize that it was a strange thing for _him_ to say, for he instantly looked in the other direction and shoved both hands into his pockets. Lillian grinned, folding her arms across her chest. So even underneath all of Dirk's hatred for Ash, he still remembered little facets of his previous best friend's personality. "Yeah, she's still the same. Obsessed with her brother. She's gotten really tall after all this time."

"What is bothering you then?" Dirk asked, hurriedly switching the subject back to its earlier roots. "If it's not him, is it one of your other friends?"

"I thought you wanted to pretend we didn't know each other. Now you're even talking to me outside of class," Lillian pointed out with a frown.

Dirk did not scold her for her inability to follow the flow of a situation this time around. He sighed and waved his hand dismissively in the air. "I changed my mind. Just forget about all the stuff I said then. Go ahead and talk to me like normal."

"Why did you change your mind?"

The clock overhead hummed as the hour hand struck the nine. Only four more minutes of break remaining. The hall had emptied out, the grounds outside full of students straining to enjoy their limited moments of the gorgeous day. The second hand ticked steadily along, and Lillian began to suspect that Dirk was just going to shift the subject once more and repeat his question of what was bothering her. Instead, he looked at her and his green eyes met her violet eyes and he said, "Because I wanted to talk to you." Lillian swallowed hard and looked away, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. It was impressive, to be able to so plainly state something like that. It seemed to be something Konohana club members were all quite good at. Dirk sighed and flicked her in the forehead, forcing her attention back towards him. "Don't take that out of context," he told her in a firm voice. "Just stop asking why I'm talking to you, okay? I do it because I feel like it. So get on with what's bothering you."

"I can't say."

"Give me a hint."

"Er, well…someone wants to talk to me at lunch…and I don't even know where the fountain _is_…that's not relevant though...and this is someone who I haven't spoken to so far this year…and who tried to pull some sort of prank on me…I guess…and I'm a little worried about it because that person didn't say what they wanted to talk about _exactly_, just said the situation in general…which worries me that they'll try to do something like that again…and I still don't know why that person did it in the first place. And of course I want to find out, but I'm a little worried…worried that s- _that person _will make things difficult."

Dirk sighed. "You worry so much. So they asked to talk. They could be apologizing, you know. Did you ever consider that?"

"…No."

"Why not?"

"Because sh- _this person_ supposedly always gets their way, and I'm still not sure what their way is. I'm told that this person is extremely smart but would never do anything to bother someone or hurt someone unless they had a really good reason…so this person tried to hurt me, they must have a really good reason. And I guess that worries me."

He watched her closely, his eyes scanning her entire form when she wasn't looking. He noticed her right collarbone peeking out from her askew pastel top, he noticed the band aid just visible beneath her skirt on her left thigh, and he noticed that she smelled faintly of fruit, though he wasn't sure which fruit exactly. It was a familiar scent, however. When she looked back at him he turned and leaned his shoulder against the wall rather than his back so he could face her. "Do you want me to go with you? If Ash isn't here, I can be your knight in shining armor for the day."

He wore a teasing smile, but Lillian got the feeling that he wasn't entirely kidding. "You say a lot of strange things," she told him, suppressing a blush.

"The offer is there if you need it. Anyways, the fountain is behind the school. If you walk around the right side towards where everyone plays football and soccer, just continue along and you'll find the fountain in the back. It's based off of the old Bluebell monument Principal Rutger was apparently fond of as a kid, so it's some weird stack of animals. Good luck." He lingered only long enough to see the confusion spread across her face and then he walked down the hall without saying goodbye, murmuring, "Peaches," to himself and rounding the corner before he allowed a smile to come onto his face. Lillian stared after him for a moment with a raised eyebrow before she too smiled, feeling as though the weight of the anticipation _had _been lifted from her shoulders. Lower down the hall the Oracle was stopped in the center of the students' pathway, having been directed towards Lillian by a concerned blonde. She took another step towards Lillian and then took two steps back, spinning on her crimson heels and clattering off around the corner.

* * *

Lillian stood at the fountain and frowned. A chicken on top of a sheep on top of a cow. "I don't get it," she mumbled.

"It's supposed to be representative of Bluebell – the town, not the club. Their focus was livestock, as that was how they earned the profit to sustain the village. Principal Rutger was fond enough of the monument to have it eradicated later as a testament to his home."

Reina was wearing a modest green outfit and her black hair fell in a heavy braid along her back. She smelled faintly of the earth, and was holding a pebble in her hand that was almost blue in color. Lillian gaped at her for a moment, stunned at how quietly she had crept up and how much knowledge she possessed on something outside the realm of her own personal interests. "I see. That makes sense. You know a lot about it," she managed, struggling to keep her voice polite and upbeat. Dirk was right – perhaps she was only apologizing.

"I like to learn as much as possible," Reina murmured, sitting on the edge of the fountain. Water was dripping from each of the animal's mouths – the water pressure was apparently very, very low. Realizing neither of them was at risk for being sprayed with a gust of lukewarm water, Lillian sat beside her, albeit a good foot away. Reina was kind enough, and spoke honestly and politely to Lillian – but she was fiercely intimidating in a way Lillian suspected wasn't even intentional. It was simply who she was as a person.

"That's good," Lillian noted. "It's a good way to look at things."

"You really think so?" Reina asked, her smile hinting that she didn't believe this.

But Lillian wasn't lying. "I do! I think it's great to always want to be learning. Life would be dull if we never learned anything. It'd just be the same thing over and over again. So if you're continuously learning, your life must never be boring. It's interesting."

Reina was mildly impressed by these words. "To be honest, I always thought you were a ditz. You're cleverer than I gave you credit for."

"…Thank you."

Reina laughed, which was a lovely sound. Hiro said that Reina didn't laugh very much, and when he did make her laugh he felt like he had succeeded in something very important. Lillian felt the same way. She had noticed when she saw Nori and Reina together that despite being best friends, they often wore such solemn expressions. Lillian wanted to always be laughing with her friends. It was a shame others weren't the same. "I didn't mean that in a negative way, but I guess there's no getting around how it sounds. I…didn't give you a lot of thought at all before. I assumed a lot of things about you, and that made it easy for me to hurt you. Hiro has told _me _a lot about _you,_ too. He thinks very highly of you. He says you're a good friend, a forgiving person, and loyal even to people you don't know very well. He says that you haven't told anyone about my involvement in this situation since he told you. Is that true?"

"Yeah, it's true."

"Why?"

"Because Hiro is my friend and I knew he cared a lot for you to the point where he was willing to sacrifice his standing with Dirk to protect you. I know how that is – wanting to protect your friends so much you're willing to do anything, even if it's degrading. I didn't want that sacrifice to go to waste. Hiro made his choice, so I agreed to stand by it. I wouldn't take what he told me in confidence and go and tell all of my friends, just like he didn't tell anyone that I was working in the cafeteria."

Lillian hadn't expected to get so fired up during her spiel, but she could tell from the hurt expression in Reina's eyes that she had touched on something the girl already felt guilty about. Reina dipped her fingertips in the heated fountain water – it was low to the ground of its cement encasing, being rapidly drained and slowly spit out – and sent ripples surging to the other side. "You must think I'm terrible," she murmured, "for doing that to Hiro and for doing that to _you_ when I barely even know you."

"Hiro said you had a good reason for it, and I believe him."

Reina looked at her and smiled. "So Hiro said that…and you believed him. You two are unbelievable. Loyal to a fault. Can I tell you a secret, Lillian?"

"Uh, sure," the brunette replied, absentmindedly trying to restick her band aid onto her left thigh and rid herself of nervous energy.

"Cam and Laney are going out." Lillian's eyes were comically wide, and Reina laughed at her expression. "Are you really surprised? You've seen those two. Come on. You have to have suspected _something_."

Reina was right. It would have been downright idiotic not to have noticed that there was _something _between Laney and Cam – just like it was probably downright idiotic to have believed them when they denied it. Lillian had taken to suspecting that they had some sort of intense crush for each other or that one of them had confessed their feelings for the other only to be denied, and now there was some sort of tension between them. She thought of the day she had prepared to question Cam and found Laney asleep on his shoulder, and she thought of how they had cheered for each other during club competitions, and she thought of how they always seemed to know everything about each other. "I guess I did notice, but I just…didn't…"

"You can't tell anyone though," Reina interrupted, rising and dusting her jade skirt off with fingertips still slightly wet from their play in the fountain. "I'm telling you because you're loyal to a fault and you won't tell anyone else. It's a very important secret. Because you see…you and I are the only people who know."

"…What?" Lillian gaped. "Not even Ash, or…or Laney's dad?"

"Not a single soul but us. Not their best friends, not my best friends, not their families. You'll have to find out why by yourself."

She looked like she was preparing to leave, slinging her knapsack onto her shoulders and taking a step in the opposite direction. "Wait!" Lillian cried out, jumping to her feet as well. "You said you wanted to talk about what happened. We haven't even talked about that. What does Cam and Laney have to do with this? I don't-"

"Think about it, Lillian. I love to learn. I am always learning new things. I already know many, many things. One of those things being that Cam and Laney are dating. Cam found the photograph…now, was that an accident, or was that on purpose?"

"But why would he care?"

"Figure it out for yourself," Reina replied. "I told you all of this because I realized you're not the person I thought you were. The rest is up to you. I'm not an open book for you to read. I'm not going to do anything in the future that could hurt you again. I owe you that much. Could you consider us even? No harm, no foul?" She didn't bother giving Lillian time to answer; she simply lifted her knapsack higher on her back and walked away, not even offering a wave to say goodbye. Lillian considered rushing after her, demanding answers, but she knew it was futile – Reina was not going to tell her any more than she already had. Lillian fell back onto her seat at the edge of the fountain and put her head in her hands, sighing. So Laney and Cam were deceiving them all. Which of her friends _wasn't _hiding something from the rest of them? How much of them did she naively not realize?

"I'm doing an awful job of being your knight in shining armor, Lillian. I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

"What are you doing here?" Lillian asked the Oracle, eyes wide and surprised. "How did you even know I was…? And what do you…?"

"I accidentally overheard your conversation with Dirk in the corridor today," the Oracle told her apologetically. Her pink hair fell in soft, lovely waves down her back today, and she wasn't garbed in her usual array of strange dresses. This was not the Oracle Lillian had come to know – she was wearing tight jeans and a loose t shirt, completely with a fuchsia chain around her neck. "And I-"

"What are you wearing?"

"That's not polite."

"Oracle-"

"That's not my name."

Silence passed between the two girls, and Lillian stared blankly at her for a long moment before saying, "Excuse me?"

"My name is Ulyssa. Call me _Ulyssa_. Please."

The Oracle – Ulyssa – lacked the typical sparkle in her eyes she wore when conversing with Lillian. Her clothes were the first tip-off something was wrong, but this sudden switch from a name that suited her so well to a name that she spoke with disdain herself was very indicative of the depths of what she was going through. What would usually be a smile was a frown that seemed unnatural and wrong on her painted lips. _Make up_. Make up just didn't belong on the Oracle's face, which was gorgeous natural. Lillian prepared to ask what was going on, but the Oracle didn't let her. She bulldozed right over her meager question, saying, "As for your earlier question, I'm here to be your knight in shining armor…and if you want to know why…it's because I wanted to beat Dirk to the punch." She rose and dusted off the back of her jeans the same way Reina had touched her skirt. "But if you're alright, I'm going to head back to the cafeteria. I'll see you during next class."

"Or…Ulyssa!" Lillian protested, catching her hand when she attempted to walk away. "What's going on? Why are you wearing jeans and make up and…why do you suddenly not want to be called the Oracle anymore? What's wrong?"

The Oracle met her eyes for a long instant before she pulled her hand free. "I don't want to be the weird kid anymore, Lillian. I'm tired of it. And…I don't want to be angry with you. I told you I wanted to be your friend and I meant that. But right now…I can't talk to you right now or I'll say something I don't mean and I'll regret it. So…I'll see you next block, alright?"

She flicked her gently in the forehead, her eyes filled with tears, and dashed away. Even with her new uncharacteristically in style outfit she was being gawked at by her fellow students. Lillian lifted her hand, preparing to cup it to her mouth and call after her, but a hand seized her wrist.

"This isn't your fault or your problem," Dirk told her, holding her wrist between their faces, diagonally cutting his handsome features in half. "Worry about what was going on earlier with Reina."

"You…how long have you been here?"

"Don't ask me that."

"Why not?" Lillian's voice rose with the frustration of having a plethora of unanswered questions, and Dirk released her wrist and lifted his hand to her hair, ruffling it the way Ash would have – and he seemed to know that, too.

"Because if I tell you the answer it'll only embarrass me and make you blush. I'm going to go after her."

He didn't linger to say goodbye, and for the third time during lunch someone left her alone. He _ran _after the Oracle, disappearing around the corner she had left. Lillian lifted a hand to her hair. The frizz Dirk had left it in didn't feel right. It was a shadow of Ash, a shadow of what Ash could have done had he been there. What would he say about all of this? Would he have suggested she run after the Oracle, or would he have agreed with Dirk that it wasn't Lillian's problem? How surprised would he have been to find out that Cam and Laney were going out? What would he say about handling Reina? Lillian had spent her senior year so far holding back from confessing her troubles to him, but now felt an intense desire to spill those troubles on his lap and let him take care of them like he always said he would. It was a selfish desire, but it itched somewhere in her mind as she walked to the cafeteria. If she hurried, she could enjoy the last few minutes of lunch with Georgia, the girl who had a confusing and pitiable past with Bluebell and Kana; Mikhail, the buzzer; and Laney and Cam, who had lied to everyone about their relationship. And what was Lillian's secret?

That she knew all of theirs.

* * *

Kana was waiting outside the door to their fifth block class when the bell permitted Lillian to leave the awkward meal she was having with her friends. They all laughed and enjoyed themselves, but she felt like she was looking in a window, or reading a book and being the omniscient narrator. She knew everything they were hiding, and looked for it in the little things they did. Like Georgia, whose eyes darted towards Kana when he left the cafeteria twenty minutes before lunch ended, and who held her red buzzer notebook like it was a life preserver. Like Mikhail, who told them all a story Principal Rutger had told him and whose eyes drifted towards Georgia's notebook many times. Like Laney and Cam, who were sitting so close together their forearms touched as she laughed and popped a strawberry into his mouth. Everything suddenly seemed false and contrived, and it left a bitter taste in Lillian's mouth. Friendship was about honesty, but they were all lying – especially her.

He perked up when he saw her, rushing to meet her halfway through the hallway. "What the hell is going on with Dirk and the Or- Ulyssa?" he asked, his eyes narrowed in worry.

"I have absolutely no idea." Another lie from Lillian, who had matched up Ash's guess with the Oracle's actions and realized he was right – when the Oracle said that she had come to be Lillian's "knight in shining armor" only to ensure that Dirk _couldn't_, it had become evident. Now the Oracle – Ulyssa – was striving to fit in with conventional norms. What was she seeking? Did she want to be a person who Dirk would like? Was this much bigger than just Dirk? "I talked to them both earlier though, and I saw that they were acting weird. Are they still…?"

"They've been arguing since I got to class – for the past four minutes of passing time. Just at each other's throats. I decided to wait out her for your to forewarn you. It's uh…well…" he cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked highly uncomfortable with the task of delivering the news. "Mostly they're arguing about you."

"What? What about me?" Lillian's sighed, running a hand along her face in exasperation.

"They've been arguing about whether or not…uh…look, never mind. I don't wanna get too involved in this. I'm just warning you that it's probably best if you don't talk to either of them too much today, alright? You don't want to end up in the middle of their argument and be forced to choose sides or anything like that. Just…keep a low profile for today. I'm sure they'll get over it in time…" But his voice betrayed this "sure" and Lillian worried with him as she walked into class about just how long this conflict would last.

Dirk instantly ignored the Oracle when Lillian took her seat behind him, spinning in his chair to face her. "Do you want to tell me about what went on with Reina now that I have some time? I never would have guessed it was her you were having trouble with."

Lillian had struggled to keep the fact that it was _Reina _calling for a meeting with her a secret, but hadn't anticipated Dirk actually coming to the location in an attempt to be, as he said, a "knight in shining armor." She frowned and shook her head. "No, it's just something between me and her. Don't worry about it."

"I think you've matured a little."

Lillian smiled and then forced it off of her face, turning to look out the window instead. She deeply valued her friendship with the Oracle, and she didn't want to risk it at all – even to salvage her past friendship with Dirk. She wasn't sure at what point she had come to rely on the girl's steadiness, sweetness, and her powerful courage and knowledge; but she had, and knowing the Oracle needed time away from her hurt. It hurt about as much as seeing Dirk's face fall. "What's up with you?" he asked.

"…Nothing."

"Tell the truth."

"Nothing," Lillian repeated. The web of guilt wrapped itself around her chest, making her feel very suddenly like she was about to cry. From the corner of her eye she watched a light on the far right side of the room flicker. All the lights in the school could use a little replacing. The Oracle was facing forward, but her head was tilted ever so slightly towards the pair to her left.

Dirk looked at Lillian for a moment longer and then said, "You can be really hurtful when you're trying to be helpful, you know."

Lillian choked back a sob. Everything in the room seemed to be shining before the sheet of tears covering her eyes. She refused to let them spill onto her cheeks. She didn't want the Oracle to be angry at her, and she didn't want Dirk to be angry at her. She didn't want to have to keep all of her friends' secrets and feelings and intentions locked up inside her chest, rattling like spare change that nobody wanted or needed. Kana put a hand on her shoulder for just a moment and she smiled at him, but it was such a terrible attempt he winced before he returned his hand to himself. The Oracle dug her nails into her palm as she clenched her hands tighter and tighter into fists. Dirk stared straight ahead as Mr. Hamilton began his lecture, one hand covering the lower half of his face, his eyes unseeing. Lillian avoided meeting Mr. Hamilton's worried eyes and wiped a tear from her cheek when nobody was looking. She would not cry. Crying would be admitting that there was something wrong, and she couldn't do that. If she admitted something was wrong, she would fall apart.

* * *

Lillian lingered in the club room when everybody had left, staring out the window of the school towards the fountain. A chicken on top of a sheep on top of a cow. Reina may have explained it to her, but it still didn't make much sense. Perhaps it _was_ a sentimental testament to Principal Rutger's childhood home. That still didn't explain why the original creators of Bluebell thought it made sense to stack a chicken on top of a sheep on top of a cow.

To focus on menial, unimportant matters like that helped Lillian bore away at the frustration and guilt and helplessness that welled up inside her. To know her friends were upset, to know things were being held from her, to _know _the important facts of every situation that mattered to those around her but to be unable to put together anything, to fix anything, to help anyone stung at her constantly. Every step she took was towards someone she knew much about and still couldn't help, every step she took was away from someone she didn't understand and wanted to know more about. What was everyone thinking? She thought of Dirk and how he had risen from his seat at the end of class and stepped back to let her pass in front of him, his eyes meeting hers for only a second and screaming with hurt. She leaned her forehead against the window and closed her eyes. He wasn't the biggest of her troubles, but she couldn't shake that image from her mind. _Because I wanted to talk to you. I can be your knight in shining armor for the day._

_ You can be really hurtful when you're trying to be helpful, you know._

Why couldn't she fix things? Why couldn't she fix Dirk and Ash's broken friendship? Why couldn't she help Cam and Laney in revealing their secret? Why couldn't she help Mikhail with his struggle to be included? Why couldn't she help Georgia with wanting to make the club succeed? Why couldn't she help Hiro with his feelings for Reina? Why couldn't she help Reina with…

With her feelings for Cam.

She had implied that the photograph being found by Cam wasn't an accident, stressing her intelligence. Had she somehow overheard Ash and Cam's discussion and known that Cam would be going to Ash's locker? The way she acted towards Laney, who she knew was dating Cam; Hiro mentioning how close Reina and Cam used to be; Laney saying that Reina thought Cam was into her and then found 'proof' that he wasn't and was hurt to have not known before. When she had half-smiled at the mention of Hiro but her eyes had looked guilty, and the miserable expression on her face when Lillian had stressed Hiro's loyalty to her. Reina loved Cam. Reina was no longer friends with him because she found out he had been dating Laney behind her back. She had probably felt like she had been strung along.

But what did that have to do with _her_? Why would she try to get Cam to see a photograph of _her_? What would that do? What did she want to achieve? Did she want to break up Cam or Laney, or did she want to make them hurt, or did she want revenge on Cam for her hurt feelings? Lillian closed her eyes and thought hard about it, but wasn't sure. She needed to know more, but couldn't think. Thoughts of her friends clouded her mind. She opened her eyes and prepared to move away from the window when a flash of pink caught her eye.

The Oracle was sitting on concrete in front of the fountain, hands on the edge of its surrounding risen slab, staring at the water. Lillian began lifting the window but stopped – the Oracle had dropped her head to rest on her hands, and her shoulders were shaking. Lillian closed the window and locked it once more. No words she had to say would stop the Oracle's tears. Ulyssa's tears.

She walked through the empty school hallways and descended the five stone steps, skipping the last one and landing hard on the even ground. She toppled forward but didn't fall – two hands caught her and a voice asked, "Why did you take so long?"

Ash smiled down at her when she lifted her stunned face upwards. He was holding both of her shoulders, but he moved one hand to pull her backpack off and sling it around his own back. "I…I got held up…"

His smile faded instantly. "Lil? What's wrong?"

"I…nothing."

"Lillian."

A group of girls sitting in the lawn a good fifty feet away began to laugh at something in a magazine. A flock of pigeons picking at the remains of Thursday's lunch lifted into the air with a fright, tearing off towards another place where the floor was a trash can. A crisp golden leave, worn from the weight of fall, drifted soundlessly to the grass beside Ash's boot. A tear slipped down Lillian's cheek and darkened the cement floor, where someone had carved in their name.

Ash swept Lillian into his arms, and she let herself cry. She was admitting something was wrong, but it suddenly didn't seem like a terrible thing to do – because she was admitting it was wrong to _Ash_. She was going to lay her troubles across his lap for the afternoon while she took some time, as Dirk always suggested, to sort out her own issues. Everyone else's returned and unreturned feelings, frustrations, misery, and anger could wait until the next day. For that moment she allowed her breaths to come in gasps, her tears to flow unhindered, and her hands to cling to Ash's shirtfront. For that moment, she let her feelings come forth – her feelings for her friends, her feelings of guilt, her feelings of frustration, misery and anger, and her feelings for Ash. For just that moment, for just that afternoon, she would let him feel them too.


	16. Celebration

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: I really enjoyed writing this~. Every once in a while I get into a real swing with these chapters and put out three or four at a time, and this was the culmination of that swing hahaha. I hope you all like it too. Thanks for the reviews, follows, favorites, etc, and thanks for simply reading! (:_

* * *

Lillian remembered eagerly anticipating Friday, but now couldn't recall why. She walked up the five stone steps and slunk down the hall towards homeroom despite being fully aware that she was already five minutes late to class. When she entered Cam and Laney turned expectant and confused faces towards her. Their teacher looked like she was about to scold her but stopped, putting a hand to Lillian's forehead instead. "You don't feel sick," she noted. "But you're pale."

"I'm sorry for being late."

The teacher sighed and smiled. "Forget about it today. You're not too late. But all you other slackers, take note – she's getting this privilege because she's got an A in our later class together!"

Her peers groaned and then laughed together, and Lillian walked slowly to the only open seat left in the back of the room, three rows behind Laney and Cam, who turned and followed her with their eyes. Full of concern, sympathetic, utterly perplexed. Lillian refused to meet their eyes and accept their pity. It was only Ash's pity that she would accept. Because now, she thought to herself with a declarative nod, she was going to be a person who didn't need pity. She was going to do everything it took to help the people she loved. Loyal to a fault? So be it.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Laney asked at break, putting a hand to Lillian's forehead as well. "You looked terrible this morning! Of course, you look a lot better now, but I'm still worried. It's not like you to be late!"

"I had some trouble on my way here," Lillian lied. The truth was that getting up and gathering her resolve had been much harder than she had expected. Back in seventh grade, Dirk and Ash used to tease her for being "like rubber." They said anything could be thrown at her and she'd bounce back with some clichéd hope for friendship to prevail and honesty to be the policy and the golden rule of treating others the way you want to be treated being enforced. But when she woke up, she did not feel like rubber. She felt like a girl who had cried to Ash for an hour and told him as much as she could about what was troubling her without giving away anyone's secrets. She had even told him about how Dirk had finally told her she could speak to him normally – and how his face hung in her mind and how his last words to her replayed themselves and left her feeling awful. She knew those were things she shouldn't have said, but had set her mind to sharing everything with him. That was how she felt – like she had done something wrong and didn't care enough about it. It was only when she thought of Ash's reaction – of how miserable and helpless he had appeared as he struggled to stop the tears that kept coming – that she was able to force herself out of bed and into the shower and along the walk to school after telling him to go ahead without her. She would be rubber for Ash so she never had to see such a crestfallen expression on his face again.

Laney smiled and offered her a strawberry mint. "Let me know if anything is bothering you, alright? I want to be able to help you. That's what friends are for, right?"

Lillian put the mint in her mouth and rolled it around with her tongue. It was a new kind – sweet and fruity on one side, tart and minty on the other. Dual sided, like Cam and Laney's relationship. "Of course," she replied, smiling and thanking her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Laney answered, still smiling. The next words Lillian said stole that smile away.

"Do you have a crush on Cam?"

"Lillian…I…I wouldn't say I have a crush on him. We're very good friends, that's all. We spend all of our time together. Like I said, we live together."

Lillian tried to observe this as Reina would. Look at the situation from every possible angle. Laney had diffused the possibility of a relationship with the tacked on statement that they lived together. It was supposed to be evidence of how close they were, but it came off as a reason she couldn't speak the truth. That's how Reina would start. And Reina would then ask, "How does Howard feel about that? Is it ever awkward? Like, does he ever get the wrong idea?" She laughed afterwards to try and lessen the weight of her question. Dirk and the Oracle often did that too – weakened the strength of their words by shifting the subject or teasing or leaving right after. Weakened, but also incredibly strengthened. It was hard to explain, but Lillian could _see _it working.

"Oh, my dad always gets the wrong idea," Laney murmured, her laugh half-hearted and obviously fake. Laney wasn't as good of a liar as she seemed to think she was – attaching the truth to her lie was proving difficult. "Since it's just me and dad, he's really protective of me. When he let Cam stay with us…well, you know, we were little, and it was important for Cam's health to be here. He had a sickness that the city worsened, and coming here helped a lot. But as Cam has gotten older dad's gotten really worried that something will go on between us. If he ever found…any hint that we were interested in each other, he would be furious. He'd probably kick Cam out."

"Are you interested in each other?"

"You're really pushing this today!" Laney laughed, depositing a mint into her own mouth and clinking it around her teeth for a few seconds as she mulled over her response. "Like I said, it's not like that. We're just very close friends. I know it probably seems like it might be more sometimes because we're so close, but what you see with us is what you get."

Lillian smiled and nodded. "I see. Sorry. I must have gotten the wrong idea."

"It's alright, don't worry about it! I'm just glad you're feeling well enough to be a detective now," Laney teased, snapping the mint tin shut and dropping it into her bag. "Come on, I'll walk you to your next class and we can meet up with Cam. He's usually waiting over there too."

* * *

"How did your project go?" Cam asked Mikhail and Lillian during fourth block. Their class was blisteringly easy and dragged on horribly as they waited for it to draw to an end so they could be reunited with their friends during lunch. They had attempted to play games in the past, but those attempts all fell short – Cam and Mikhail were not particularly lively, and their games were slow and too deliberate to be fun. So now they made small talk, and it suited them much better.

Mikhail and Lillian exchanged an approving nod. "It went very well, actually," Mikhail noted. "Everyone clapped when we were finished…it was a lovely sound."

"Laney did especially well," Lillian noted, watching as the led of Cam's pencil broke in the middle of drawing a tulip. He quickly clicked the top of his mechanical pencil, slapping the broken led tip onto the floor. "I was really impressed with how good she was at presenting. She didn't seem to be scared at all of talking in front of everyone. Maybe _she_ should have been vice president."

"I'm glad to hear she did so good," Cam murmured. "But I think you're a good vice president, Lillian."

She smiled at him and he returned it. Cam was much better at being discreet about his relationship with Laney. Perhaps it was because he thought through all of his words before speaking, whereas Laney didn't notice the tell-tell hints she dropped because she didn't stop to consider the weight of her conversation. Cam was cautious and she was just nervous. They were a good match, Lillian decided. She didn't want to interfere in their relationship. She didn't see the importance of hiding it from the entire school, but if they wanted to keep it hidden from her father so they could prolong their time together, she didn't mind. They were one problem she didn't have to worry about – except for their relationship with Reina's issues.

"I heard today's club competition will be something like a quiz bowl, with members rotated out and quizzed on basic knowledge," Mikhail noted abruptly, frowning at his desk. "There will be many teams of five, with the final challenge being between the officers."

"How did you know about that?" Lillian asked, frowning as well.

"It's easy to find out about what the next club competition will be if you know who to ask," Cam told her, smiling. "Certain teachers slip different bits of the details to us until we already know. If you put together their signs, you've got a pretty clear image of what the competition is going to be. In my last block the teacher noted that they had to get buzzers installed for the next competition and that it was stressful. At the beginning of this class the teacher said that all of the teachers had to compile basic questions for the subject they taught. I saw Principal Ina putting together some podiums yesterday at break that looked like something they'd use in a quiz show. I'm pretty sure Mikhail is right."

Lillian looked between the boys and then nodded. One reason to suspect Mikhail crossed off her list. She decided to shift the conversation before he realized how suspiciously she had looked at him. "Oh right, Cam, you were with Laney at break yesterday, weren't you? What did you guys have to do?"

"Huh?" Cam asked, frowning. "No, she went to talk to Principal Rutger, like always."

"Oh, and she's not going to be able to come after school today, so we'll have to set up our date for another day," Mikhail told her, sighing as he shrugged. "She has a meeting with him again, she said."

The classroom door creaked open and then shut as a student left to use the bathroom. Lillian stared at the door for a moment before turning to Mikhail and asking, "You speak to Principal Rutger a lot, don't you?"

He and Cam exchanged a look, and Mikhail waved Cam off when he prepared to say something. "It's alright. I'll tell her. You see, in my freshman year, I was the subject of a lot of teasing. My locker was vandalized, my old violin was destroyed, and I was almost attacked on my way home from school. Georgia saw and managed to fight them off, and Principal Rutger had them expelled when he found out that they were behind everything. They convinced me to join Bluebell even though I was just beginning high school, and Principal Rutger invited me to come to his office. I stop by there often, just so he can chat with me and make sure everything is alright – that I'm not being bullied at all and I feel like I fit in. I don't think Laney is doing something similar with Principal Rutger though, if that's what you were wondering. She's always gotten along with everyone else fairly well, and Principal Rutger always mentions that she's so close with everyone in Bluebell."

_She's so close with everyone in Bluebell_. So close that they all confide their troubles in her and she always knows what's going on.

"Mikhail, I'm so sorry," Lillian whispered. Sorry that she had doubted him, sorry that she had thought such vindictive thoughts towards him, sorry that he had been the subject of such cruel treatment in the past. _Why_? she wondered. _Why would anyone hurt Mikhail?_ But she had far too much tact to voice _that _curiosity. She put her hand on his shoulder and grinned reassuringly. "I'm really looking forward to going out with you and Laney to celebrate this project."

He smiled back at her and nodded. "Me too. Cam, would you like to come? Actually, we can turn it into a celebration for everyone – we should invite Georgia and Ash as well. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," Lillian replied.

It seemed there were more problems underneath Cam and Laney's relationship than she had previously considered.

* * *

Lillian didn't follow Mikhail and Cam to lunch after class. She asked them to let Ash know that she was going to take a walk around campus and try to finish some of her work. "I've just been feeling out of it all day," she explained. "So I'm just going to take some time to myself."

They had both expressed a greatly deal of sympathy towards her and asserted that the moment she felt better she should come to the cafeteria with them. After asking several more times if she was sure she didn't want them to come with her they finally left, and she padded down the hallways by herself as students swarmed around, trying to find a safe haven to spend the lunch in. She remembered how overwhelming the sight had been when she had first moved to this school, but now it seemed normal. She had long since stopped comparing Harvest High to her old school. Her old school did not have Ash or Cam or Laney or Georgia or Mikhail or Hiro or the Oracle or Dirk. It didn't even stand a chance in a comparison.

She had been _so _sure that Mikhail was the buzzer. She was seriously contemplating confronting him about it, even! She sat down on the floor beside the fountain, leaning her head against it. The water pressure was much better today, and the spritz of the water fell upon the strands of hair resting on her seat from the previous day. Laney. Of all people, _Laney_. Laney, whose side job as a buzzer would devastate Georgia most of all. She didn't need to 'protect the buzzer' or 'ensure the buzzer wasn't docking points unfairly.' It was _Laney_. She would never unfairly dock points. Taking away the six points was probably a slap on the wrist – Konohana had been docked seven points for simply giving Lillian advice and keeping it secret. She didn't want to bother considering who the buzzer was on _their _team. It was too much stress. Laney. Laney! She sighed and stretched her legs out before her, accepting her frustration. It seemed Laney was the source of much more trouble than she had ever anticipated. She was the catalyst of both Georgia and Reina's frenzied actions. The source of Lillian's guilt. And she probably hated every minute of it.

And then there was the issue that she had spent so much time treating Mikhail poorly when he had been forced to withstand so much misery at the hands of other people. A boy so scarred from his past friendships that he was still afraid to ask people he spent every day with to go out to eat with him. A boy whose closest friends didn't bother asking if he wanted a position as a club officer despite him having served several years in the club. A boy who never once expressed anger at these choices, but accepted them and prided each officer for doing a job well done and _still _served unnecessary extra jobs for them as though he _were_ an officer. A workhorse for the club without any credit. He deserved much, much better than that.

She looked up with a frustrated sigh and then she saw him. Dirk leaning against the tree across from her. Her eyes widened as he gestured for her to come to him. She looked around, feeling terrible as she did it. Because she did not see the Oracle watching, she went to him and said, "What is it?"

He looked extremely upset, and like he was struggling very hard with that. "You can't try to make me be your best friend again, try to make me be _Ash's _best friend again, and then cast me off!" he told her instantly, as though he had rehearsed the words. She was surprised to see their role reversal – _he _was berating _her _for treating him with an absence of familiarity. "It's harsh. And it's not like you at all. You've _always _forgiven me for every stupid thing I've done. If you're going to pick the Oracle's side in this, when we've been friends since the seventh grade-"

Lillian gasped as Dirk slammed back into the tree – Ash held him by the front of his shirt, his eyes narrowed in ferocity Lillian had never seen from him before. "Shut up," he hissed, pressing Dirk harder and harder against the tree as Dirk stared at him, completely dumbfounded. "You can't tell her not to treat you like she knows you and then criticize her for doing so. You can't jerk her back and forth. She's not here to bend to your beck and call – she did not move back here so _you_ could treat her like this. If you make her cry again, I'll make you regret it."

Dirk didn't say a word – his mouth was open in utter shock. Lillian caught Ash's arm and forced him to release Dirk, yanking him back a couple feet. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "Ash-"

He looked at her and she was silenced. She had never seen such an honest expression on Ash's face. "I'm making sure I never have to see you cry again," he told her, his voice quiet. "I told you that you could rely on me, didn't I? So start relying on me some more. I'm not going to let _him _of all people make you upset anymore. Let's go. We have to get prepped for the club competition in a couple hours."

He caught her hand and pulled her away from Dirk, towards the cafeteria, stopping to sweep her backpack up as he went. Lillian looked over her shoulder at Dirk, who was straightening the collar of his shirt. He didn't meet her eyes and instead stared at the ground, a look of shame crossing his face.

"Ash-"

"I know that goes against everything you want," he told her, stopping on the right side of the school building, where she had spoken to Georgia and later Kana, where students went on dates and played sports. "I know you want the two of us to be friends, and I know you want things to go back to the way they were in seventh grade. I'm sorry. I came looking for you when Cam told me you seemed a little off today, and when I heard him talking to you…I just couldn't help it. I-"

"Thank you."

He looked at her over his shoulder and then smiled. "Yeah. You're welcome."

"Let's do our best today in the club competition, okay?"

"Quiz bowl with Dirk? I'll try. He's going to make an ass out of me when he doubles our score in the final round."

Lillian smiled at him and tilted her head to the side. "But winning isn't very important, is it?"

"…No. Winning is the least important thing to me right now." He grinned and intertwined his fingers with hers. Her eyes widened and then relaxed, and she squeezed his hand. "Let's get back to everyone now. They're waiting for you."

She let him pull her along and this time she did not look over her shoulder at Dirk. She could still see the crestfallen look on his face clear enough that she didn't need to turn around and see it once more. Dirk would definitely destroy them in the club competition, and he would win, and he would be angry at her during the block before that competition, and she would have to deal with the retributions of Ash's actions. But that was okay with her. She wanted to be Dirk's friend, but she did not want to be his toy, there when he wanted to talk to it, silent when he did not. Maybe, she told herself, maybe this will change things. She tightened her hold on Ash's hand, her anchor in the raging sea. It seemed relying on him had made a difference. And now her friends were waiting for her. Their problems were not who they were. They were her friends first and foremost. Everything else could wait until they were done waiting for her.

* * *

"This is going to go terribly," Georgia murmured, hands clasped before her as though she were about to pray. Lillian looked towards Konohana's club members. Even if their entire team was comprised of F students, she had the creeping suspicion that Dirk, Hiro, Nori, Reina and the Oracle could turn their failure around. Praying wasn't going to do much good.

"We can try," Laney noted, tapping her fist lightly against the top of her friend's head. "Don't be so depressing. We don't know how it's going to go until it's going. For now, let's just give this our all. Who knows – the buzzer may dock them points again. They may be a 'team' made up of impressive talents, but to call them a team is a stretch. We have one advantage over them…we all care about each other a lot. And I think we can do it, if we try."

Cam smiled at her, and Lillian smiled at the both of them. "Yeah!" she echoed. "Laney's right. Stop praying, Georgia. Let's do our best."

"I'm not praying!" Georgia protested, laughing as she punched her friend lightly – which was not very light considering Georgia's strength – in the shoulder. "Stop getting so riled up. It makes me look bad."

They all laughed and then looked over towards the Konohana teams. Nobody was laughing. It was chilling to watch them, but it also sparked hope in them – hope that Laney was right. One person in particular looked especially somber. The Oracle was standing in front of Dirk, speaking in hushed tones to him. She looked over and caught Lillian's eyes, and the brunette quickly looked away and distanced herself from her team. Ash prepared to catch her, but Cam stopped him. "You know how Lillian hurts herself trying to fix other people's problems?" he began, his voice knowing.

"…Yes."

"Don't do the same thing. You've got to set a better example for her."

Ash would have pulled free from anyone else's grip, but because it was Cam he smiled, rolling his eyes. "If you say so."

Lillian sat down in the front seat of the audience row, reserved for the club officials. How was she going to compete against Dirk and the Oracle? The entire block had gone by in utter silence. She had walked in right when the bell rang to ensure she didn't have to speak to them, and because it was a test day they were told they could leave as soon as they finished. Unsurprisingly, Dirk was the first to finish with the Oracle close behind him, and Lillian did not finish until they were likely comfortably settled in the Konohana club room. She wasn't sure how she was going to face them now – let alone face Reina, whose eyes danced with the knowledge she held over Lillian every time they looked at each other.

"Lillian."

"O – uh, Ulyssa. Hey."

The Oracle sat down beside her, today wearing a skirt that was shockingly short for her standards and a tank top with straps barely wide enough to pass by the dress code. Where was she getting her idea of what a typical high school student would wear? Lillian didn't bother voicing her concerns with her outfit this time around. The Oracle was someone whose problems you couldn't fix – whatever was going on with her, she needed to sort it out herself first. The girl murmured, "I heard your boyfriend and Dirk got into an altercation."

"He's not my boyfriend."

The Oracle smiled at their old joke and nodded. "I know."

"…I didn't want it to happen. I want them to be friends. But I'm a little glad that it did happen."

"Because Dirk jerks you back and forth, telling you one day to ignore him and the next day to talk to him and the next day to act natural? He does that."

Lillian smiled as well and shrugged. "Maybe he'll stop now. Or ignore me completely."

"I'm jealous of you." The Oracle admitted it abruptly and without feeling in the words, but her eyes were full of emotion she tried to shield with hair that had been straightened today. "You didn't have to do anything to catch his attention. Dirk thinks about you, talks about you, looks at you so much. I've been by his side for so long while you were gone…you know, when we first started hanging out, we made a deal. I would give him information to help him complete his goal of beating Ash and climbing to the top of his club and becoming valedictorian. In turn, he would try to protect me from all the insults and teasing I got from being weird. And the first thing he asked me to find out about…was you. How you were doing in your new town. He said Ash would know. I snuck a letter from Ash's backpack and read through it. I did that a few times. I tried to skirt over your personal details, only ensuring that you were okay, and at the end of _every _letter you asked the same thing. 'How is Dirk doing? Are you two super close now? Don't make me a third wheel, alright? Let him know that I wish him the best, and tell him I'd like to hear from him, but I know he's busy, so if he doesn't, that's okay. Just make sure he knows I'm thinking about him.'"

Lillian was torn between surprise and acceptance of the fact that the Oracle had snooped through her letters. She didn't magically learn all of her information, after all. She thought of all the times she had penned those words to Ash. And all along, they were never intending on making her a third wheel – they were drifting farther and farther apart. She tried to think of something to say to the Oracle, but failed. She started to say that the relationship between them was friendly – that they were friends with a past that drove them to these strange situations. But the words didn't come out. They were lies. There was more than just friendship there. She did not have these interactions with Cam or Laney or Georgia, after all.

"I tried to be normal, like the girls in the magazines," the Oracle murmured. "I thought that I would never be able to take your place, but maybe if I was normal – if I wasn't a freak he had to babysit – then he would pay attention to me. But he has been furious with me all this time for driving you to choose between us, and for upsetting you. He didn't even seem to care about my feelings until today. Like I was an afterthought. It made me wonder if we were ever really friends."

"You are friends!" Lillian protested instantly. "I know that Dirk sees you as a friend and has been worried about you. I…I'm sorry if I get in the way of what you want, but I…I'm not…and I know that he really does care about you…"

"I believe you," the Oracle replied with a smile. "I know that you like Ash, after all, so that helps."

"I didn't-"

The Oracle laughed and rose to her feet. "I came over here to tell you that jealousy is a terrible thing to give in to. I'll go back to normal on Monday. So, call me the Oracle. Ulyssa doesn't suit me much, does it? If Dirk doesn't like me like I normally am or like this, I don't know what I can do to fit into that. It's not very much fun being Ulyssa. So…this is my apology. I like you, Lillian. I like being your friend. I don't want that to change. So do your best today!"

She finished with a punch in the air, and Lillian grinned up at her, feeling a wave of intense relief wash through her. "I'm so glad to hear that. I like the normal you. I like being your friend a lot, and I don't want to lose that."

The girls smiled at each other and then the Oracle flicked her in the forehead, a little harder than usual. "I'm going to beat your team today, though. I really, really, _really _need to make it to the City. But just because I want to win doesn't mean I want you to lose. So try your hardest!"

With that she skipped away, her hair waving like a ribbon as she went. She didn't return to Dirk's side as she normally would – she instead joined Nori and Reina's conversation, and the girls turned to her with surprise but pleasant expressions. _Good_, Lillian smiled. _She deserves someone who will have eyes only for her. I hope she finds that person. _Unrequited love, it seemed, could be extremely painful. Lillian glanced at Ash, and he smiled and waved at her. She returned the wave and felt another pinch of relief. As Ash settled into the chair beside her and the other club officers took a seat, her eyes drifted to the left side of the room where the Konohana members were sitting. Dirk caught her eye, but when she prepared to look away he waved frantically for her attention and began to mouth out words to her.

_I'm sorry._

_ Please forgive me._

_ Good luck._

Lillian's eyes widened at his blatant, upfront apology. No candy coated words, no hesitation, no around the bush half-apology. She smiled and nodded. She wanted to be angry at him for Ash and for the Oracle, but she couldn't. She could still see the immature child struggling to reconcile with the mature adult Dirk was striving to be. One day, she thought hopefully to herself, he will be able to face Ash and the Oracle's respective feelings towards him appropriately. For now, she would do her best to help him. What else could she do? He was her friend. All she had wanted was for him to see that too.

Ash set his arm around her shoulder, fingertips resting on the cold metal of her chair's back, and she turned and watched a group of nervous Bluebell club members clamber onto the makeshift stage, while a group of five Konohanans did the same. The principals stood center stage holding the cards Cam, Mikhail and Lillian's teacher had mentioned, and the competition began.

* * *

"I didn't answer a single question," Georgia wailed. "I'm an idiot!"

"You're not an idiot," Laney told her sympathetically. "You did your best."

"I said there were two oceans in the world. Only two. What is wrong with me?" Cam mumbled, shaking his head.

"Nothing is wrong with you," Laney told him sympathetically. "You did your best."

Ash and Lillian sighed. They, along with Laney and Cam, had struggled valiantly to correctly answer questions – Georgia struggled valiantly to slap the buzzer in time, because apparently impressive speed while running did not transfer to impressive reflexes – but the Oracle had absolutely dominated their round. She shot an apologetic look to Lillian whenever she stole an answer from her, but she danced and cheered when their club was announced winner, and briefly hugged Dirk, who looked absolutely flabbergasted. Now she was dancing her way to Lillian, pulling Dirk's coat around her shoulders.

"The skirt and the tank top didn't suit me," she told Lillian, wrapping the maroon fabric around her. "Dirk said I could wear this until I get back into my normal clothes."

"I think you look nice when you're wearing your usual dresses," Ash told her with a kind smile. Lillian felt immensely proud of him, though she wasn't sure why – after all, she couldn't take credit for his compliments.

The Oracle grinned at him and said, "You're such a lovely boyfriend to Lillian."

"Please ignore that," Lillian murmured, clapping her hands over her face in embarrassment.

Ash just laughed as the Oracle explained that they always teased Lillian about her close friendship with Ash. When she finished she reiterated, "You _are_ such a lovely friend to Lillian, though. I'm grateful to you for that. I wasn't Lillian's knight in shining armor this week, but I'm going to step up my game in this coming week. You're my opponent now."

"Well then bring it on," Ash replied teasingly. The Oracle grinned and hugged Lillian, offering her apologies for their loss, and the president and vice president of Bluebell congratulated her before she joined Nori and Reina's side again.

"Do you think she made up with Dirk?"

"I think she's willing to forgive him for everything this week and wants to put it all behind her," Ash murmured thoughtfully. "She probably decided that, in the end, she values his friendship more than a relationship with him, so she's going to let things stay the way they are without pushing it any further. Unfortunately, that means she's now going after you and is my competition."

"Don't tease me!" Lillian protested, gently punching his arm. Unlike Georgia, her punches did not have any affect at all. She could have thrown the hardest punch she had and not made him flinch. Maybe they were a club of diverse talents, unlike Konohana's unique talents. She thought she liked that idea very much.

"I didn't know I was the center of your conversations with friends."

Lillian prepared a remark to this, but Dirk beat her to it. "Arrogant as ever," he shrugged, his hands in his pockets. The white collared shirt he typically wore beneath his maroon coat made him look fiercely attractive. She was surprised by his comment, but noted there was no aggression behind it – he was smiling. Teasing.

"Some things never change," Ash replied. His comment was not as friendly, but he was clearly straining.

"You're right," Dirk countered. "They don't. Personality traits, situations, feelings. Some things never change."

Ash rose to his feet and stared at Dirk for a moment before he walked away, running a hand through his hair in a clear attempt to calm down. Lillian considered going after him but stopped herself. _That's the first time I've seen them hold an actual conversation_, she realized, her hands in excited fists. It was clearly not the happiest conversation, but they didn't attempt to hurt each other, they didn't need her interference…just them. Talking. She looked at Dirk and he sat down in Ash's departed seat. "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"…Rely on me too. Rely on me as much as you rely on Ash, and I'll help you as much as I can."

"…Dirk…"

"That's all, really. You know I'm sorry and you know I'm a child and you know I've been cruel. But I can't really afford to keep that going. I want to be angry at you, but if I waste anymore time being angry, I lose time that Ash takes instead."

"…What are you trying to say?"

Dirk looked at her for a moment and then said, "I'll tell you one last time what to do. Treat me like the friend you waited four years to see. Is that alright to ask for? You treat Ash as though not a second has passed by. You treat him as though you two spent these past years together. So…please treat me the way you expected to treat me before you saw me again."

Lillian looked at him for a moment and then said, "The Oracle…"

"She and I have talked things through already."

"…I…don't know what you want…"

"Don't play naïve," he told her, flicking her in the forehead. His nail barely tapped her. "I'll see you later." He stopped when he was about to walk away however, turning towards her with a grin. "One last thing. I'll try harder with Ash, if you want me to. If you want us to be a trio again."

Lillian stood up as well. "Is that what you want?"

He stretched his arms up to the sky and then rested them behind his head – a gesture characteristic of the Dirk she remembered from seventh grade. Which was the real Dirk? The boy he was when she left, or the boy he was when she arrived? Was he revealing the truth to her now, or playing another game? He smiled at her and said, "Sometimes. Sometimes I want to publicly embarrass him in club competitions, but sometimes I want us to have lunch together again. See you next week."

He lifted a hand over his shoulder – his signature goodbye – and joined the Oracle, who was waiting for him at the door. They high fived and she smiled at him – a supportive, friendly smile. Feelings didn't just go away. Lillian knew that. But if anyone could hold in their feelings for another person and encourage them to go after their own feelings, it was the Oracle. And if anyone could leave Lillian doubting her resolve so much, it was Dirk. Ash rejoined her side and said, "He pisses me off sometimes, you know. But I deserved it this time around."

"Ash…"

"Let's go celebrate," Ash told the group, pointedly looking at Mikhail as well.

Georgia shot him a nasty look. "What is there to celebrate, Ash?"

"Here's something you'll want to celebrate, Georgia: the buzzers didn't knock us any points this week. Let's go, we can all meet up at my place."

Cam agreed instantly, and Laney agreed when he did. Georgia pumped her fist into the air victoriously and shot him a thumbs up, and Mikhail picked up his violin case with a wide grin. Ash took Lillian's hand and pulled her forward, towards the door. "Ash?" she asked when they were out of earshot from the rest of the group.

"Hmm?"

"What are we celebrating?"

"Not much. Dirk is going to make my life hell from now on. Things are only going to get harder. But I guess I'm celebrating the fact that even after four years, I'm still happy that the jerk came to talk to me. You celebrate the fact that you and the Oracle are friends again and you don't have to call her Ulyssa anymore."

Lillian grinned at him and they stepped through the gymnasium doors to stand underneath the expanse of pure blue for miles and miles, the rest of their club following several feet behind. Her problems, Ash's problems, Dirk's problems, the Oracle's problems; all of their friends' problems. This was Ash's way of saying that, for the day, they didn't exist. For the rest of the day they would be happy. She couldn't agree more.


	17. My Mistake

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Hey everyone! I wanted to address a concern about this story's length. To be honest, I cannot tell you guys how long this story is going to be. I want it to be long, I think there's still a lot of stuff to cover. I know I've faked people out a lot in my past stories by making it seem like something tumultuous was going to happen only to switch to a more character driven ending or making it seem like the ending was near only to shift it to a huge blow up hahah. However, I do not want to do that this time around. I don't want the time this story ends to surprise anyone. So my best answer would be no, this story is not ending anytime soon, it's still got plenty of things to deal with and I am going to try to focus a lot of falling action and resolution so the ending will come at a predictable point. (: Thank you all for your continued interest in this story, every question I get is so exciting because it shows people are curious haha, which is great! Thanks for the reviews, favorites, follows, everything. Thanks for reading, haha! Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns or requests of any sort or if you just want to chat I dunno, I'm always open to talk haha. I know my profile is very brisk so I might not sound as friendly from there but I'm always up to field any topic somebody wants to address. Also, sorry this is a day late! I tried to find time to revise it and publish it yesterday, but it was my grandma's birthday so I attempted to clean the house and make dinner for her, which went terribly hahaha. Sorry guys! Please enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

But Lillian continued to stare intently at Ash as he lifted his water bottle to his lips and then lowered it once more, too uncomfortable to drink before her watchful eyes. _I told you that you could rely on me, didn't I? So start relying on me some more._ That was what he had said…but where did she begin? She wanted to explain the complicated mess of Reina, Cam and Laney – even including Laney's position as buzzer – but wasn't sure where to start. She was even more unsure of what his reaction would be. What if he told her to stay out of other people's business? What if he pointed out that it was their problem and had nothing to do with her? _But it does have something to do with me_, Lillian thought. Reina had implied that she was fully capable of finding out why it would be her photograph put in Ash's locker for Cam to find. She had probably even known that Laney would be with him. So that meant…

Lillian put her head in her hands and groaned. _I don't know! _She screamed to herself. How was she supposed to figure it out, anyways? Apparently Reina was smart enough to enact some master plan, so why would she think she had been foolish enough to leave her motives wide open? All Lillian was aware of was that, while Reina was unwilling to say it herself, she wasn't against Lillian knowing. So that meant she was completely allowed to do some sleuthing.

"Look whose headed this way," Ash mumbled. Considering what Ash was gesturing to had miraculously been able to divert his attention from her perplexing behavior, Lillian turned eagerly in the direction he was facing. However, it was Dirk he was looking at – Dirk and Nori, in fact.

_Nori!_ Lillian perked up instantly, clutching tightly to Ash's shirt sleeve. She would know everything about Reina – they _were _best friends, after all. And her excuse for wanting to talk to Nori could be Laney – they _were _once friends, after all. She could say that Laney was acting a little strange and she was worried but didn't want to worry her friends, so that turned her to Nori. She could say something like, _I heard you two are really close! _And when Nori was forced to say that closeness was in the past, she could ask why, and it would lead to a full blown conversation! Lillian's thoughts ran away from her with more ridiculous schemes as her grip on Ash's shirt tightened and Dirk neared them. Ash looked from her to Dirk to her hand and grimaced.

"Hey Lillian…Ash," Dirk told them politely enough, though his voice shook when he turned to his rival club president.

"Hello," Lillian answered, smiling up at him. She drove her elbow into Ash's side until he said, "Hey."

Nori smiled sweetly at them both as Dirk gestured to her and told Lillian, "I don't know if you two have gotten to talk again, but I'm assuming you remember her from when we were kids?"

"Yeah, of course." Lillian turned her grin towards the stunning girl before her. Reina was a quiet, modest beauty. In many ways Nori was that and more. She had the modesty, the close selection of words, _and_ she had the tenderness and sweetness that slightly reminded Lillian of Laney. Both of them were their clubs most beautiful members, and Lillian suspected it was for far more than their good looks – she felt at ease before Nori, just as she felt at ease when Laney was at her best. She could see why they would have been such good friends.

"It's nice to speak to you again, Lillian." Nori inclined her head, nearly bowing. "I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you before. With the club rivalry going on, it's hard to make time to go see how everyone in Bluebell is doing. I hope your return to town has been nice."

Ash and Dirk glanced at each other and quickly looked away. Ash put his hand over Lillian's, which still clung to his shirt, and she didn't seem to notice or mind, which left a scowl on Dirk's face. "It's been great," Lillian answered. "And don't worry about it."

A moment of uncomfortable silence lapsed in which both girls turned to Dirk, clearly looking to him for guidance. Nori was sweet as could be, but that didn't necessarily mean she and Lillian had a million topics to choose from for discussion – especially when Dirk and Ash were hovering beside them. Dirk folded his arms around his still coatless shirt – had the Oracle really not seen him during the weekend to return it, despite often spending all of her free time with him? – and focused mostly on Lillian as he said, "I just wanted to make sure you two were keeping in touch. After all, you have a lot in common."

"Really?" Nori asked, not unkindly. She turned her smile towards Lillian once more and said, "I'm looking forward to getting to know you better than, Lillian."

"Same here," the brunette replied much more hesitantly. Dirk's words had seemed to possess an ulterior motive – which was not jumping to conclusions when it was _him_ she was talking about. But he couldn't have known much about Reina's situation…could he? She met his amused expression with a frown that Ash shared in. It seemed that even after four years of developing such a hatred for the boy, he still knew him inside and out as well.

* * *

Lillian didn't want to become the person who subtly used her knowledge against her friends. She wanted to only ever use the secrets she gained from them to collectively help her tight knit circle and the club they all seemed to have varying interests in. Yet she found herself offhandedly interrogating Laney through much of their second block and into break.

"Who do you think the buzzer is?" she finally asked, after inquiring how many points Laney would have docked the group from during the first week and whether or not she agreed with Georgia's radical view on buzzers and if she thought the buzzer was someone they knew. All answers had been vague and generally used to steer the conversation into a new direction, but Lillian hoped that this new, direct method would force something more from Laney.

The blonde paused and did an admirable job of feigning serious thought. "Well…I would say the buzzer has to be someone who is popular and good friends with a lot of important club members and…it's probably someone who really didn't want the position." Only the misery that leaked into the last few words gave away Laney's position. For her benefit, Lillian continued on her charade of ignorance and finally let the matter drop.

"I see," she murmured. "That makes sense. Hey…do you like the clubs?"

Laney looked towards her with wide eyes. "Do I…_like _the clubs? That's a strange question to ask. I mean, whether or not I like them, it's not like I can do anything about it."

That was a good point, Lillian knew, but not the answer she wanted. "I mean," she began, frowning as she attempted to explain herself. "Dealing with the clubs is one thing, and liking it is entirely different. I go back and forth sometimes from enjoying my time with the club and wishing I could just speak to whoever without worrying about what other people will think, or being able to rely on my friends and have them rely on me without us 'cheating.' I like spending time with everyone and I like when things are going our way or when we're able to celebrate even during a loss…but it's hard to like the club during other times."

Only once the words had left her mouth did she wonder if this would force Laney to dock her points. "Not that I wish it was any other way!" she blurted out frantically. "I love the people in our club and I love making them happy. I just wish it didn't make me go against friends and cause so much drama in the school."

Laney smiled, gentle and reassuring. "Don't worry. I understand what you mean. I try not to dwell on it too much, but in all honesty…I hate the club system. I think it's a terrible idea, to drive the graduating class against each other and reward some and punish others. We should be celebrating everything together. We're seniors – in one more year we'll be completely finished with high school and we will look back on these times as the only remnants of the happy, carefree days with friends. I don't want to look back on these times and think about how sad we were when we lost a competition, or how some of us were able to be happy and laugh while others sat silently and watched. If I had my way, this entire club thing would be ended."

"That's definitely not something you'd tell Georgia," Lillian pointed out, her voice weak. The harsh, blunt words didn't match Laney's amiable personality at all. Was it the competition that had driven her to this perspective, or being forced to be an informant against her closest friends? Lillian was sure that, while many others in Bluebell disagreed with the basics of the club system, everyone enjoyed at least some aspects of it.

"No, she'd probably slap me if I said that." Laney continued to wear that cheerful expression even when admitting that she was fully aware her dearest friend would not appreciate her point of view. She stared at the clock as it showed that the end of break was only a minute away and said, "I'm really quite a hypocrite, you know. Even though I talk about how much I hate the clubs, I'd do whatever it took for our club to make it to the very end. I need us to go to the city. I tried to keep my focus on morality and honesty, but…I don't have that option anymore. The ends justifies the means."

_Cam said something like that to me too_, Lillian realized. Her eyes were wide as she watched a strange sort of desperation flash across Laney's eyes. And then the bell rang and it was gone. She offered one last strawberry mint and announced, "Let's get to class! See you later."

Lillian bit into the mint, through the sweet side and onto the tangy. It seemed that Laney was a lot tougher than she looked.

* * *

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

"Of course."

Ash sighed and lifted his water bottle to his lips, undaunted by her staring now. It seemed to shift from him to random other inhabitants of their lunch table. Laney seemed the most uncomfortable under it, and Georgia just laughed and said, "Why are you so quiet today? Just sitting there and looking around is so unlike you, it makes me nervous."

He carefully watched how her eyes moved when Dirk left the cafeteria, and he saw that she followed him every step of the way before snapping her gaze back onto him. He took a swig of his water and sighed again. "Are you sure? Because you're acting sort of weird. In fact, you've been acting weird all day."

"Huh?"

"…Never mind."

This time around Lillian was not quite so fixated on whether or not she should confide in Ash. For now, she told herself, she would only share with him things that were truly troubling her - she would rely on him, but now was not the time for that. She would protect her friends' secrets. There was a reason, after all, that they were secret. But that meant she had no guidance as to what her next step should be. Should she try speaking to Reina again? It didn't seem like that would work. Should she try talking to Nori? It had seemed a valid possibility in her mind earlier, but after actually speaking to the girl she felt much more hesitant. Should she try asking Cam about Reina? That seemed like it would make him uncomfortable, and he would probably pass on the information to Laney, who would understandably feel a little miffed. Should she try talking to Laney? She didn't think there was anymore she could get out of _that _girl.

Georgia and Kana's issues, she was afraid, would have to wait a while longer. Mikhail too, would have to bide his time until a chance arose for Lillian to help him. Their problems were longterm, and therefore did not seem as pressing. The entire incident with Reina, the problem with being a buzzer who had decided to forego honesty, and then the Oracle and Dirk's issues…those seemed like things that needed to be handled instantly, before they blew up and became unmanageable. But _how_? Lillian took the carrot Ash offered her without even thinking about it, snapping it in half and taking a large bite. He raised an eyebrow and then exchanged a look with Cam, who shrugged.

When the carrot was devoured Lillian rose to her feet, announcing, "I've got to go take care of something. I'll see you all during club block."

"What do you have to do?" Ash asked amidst the goodbyes her friends called.

"An errand…bye!" Lillian blurted out, hoisting her backpack onto her shoulders and yanking her textbooks from beneath her chair as she rushed towards the door. Anymore time Ash got to ask her questions was more time he got to unearth her lies. An errand…that probably wasn't qualified by a conversation with Dirk.

But she didn't know what else to do! Ash was so unaware of the entire situation – he only knew someone had 'pranked' Lillian by slipping a photograph into his locker, but the details had been left vague and shady to protect Cam, Laney, Hiro and Reina's secrets – and asking him for help would only drag up issues. The less he knew about it, the better – for the time being, at least. There was only so much information Reina, Hiro, Cam and Laney could give, and she felt that she was already grasping the ends of it. Dirk seemed to know _something_, and at least finding out that something would help – and even if she couldn't find out _that_, she could try to find out why he was suddenly acting civilly towards Ash and pushing this 'friendship' business.

He was sitting at the same tree they had spoken at on Friday, a notebook across his lap. He was sitting on his maroon coat with glazed eyes that suggested he had long since stopped focusing on what he was writing. As Lillian crouched beside him she realized something else – Dirk was still using the cologne she had purchased for him for his birthday back in seventh grade, which he and Ash had had a good laugh about. "Why would you buy cologne? We're in the _seventh grade_," Ash kept saying. Dirk had pulled her into a one armed hug, struggling to control his laughter, and said, "This is something you should probably only get for your boyfriend in the future, Lil."

It smelled fresh, like the sea and like stepping out of a shower and like the world after rain. She remembered unbottling every cologne to test it before deciding on this as a good representative of Dirk's personality. Now she wondered if it was still true.

Dirk was startled to see her sitting beside him, but his surprise settled rapidly into glee. "What are you doing over here?" he asked, grinning widely.

"You smiling like that is a little strange," Lillian pointed out. "I'm used to seeing you scowl all the time."

"I said I couldn't waste time being angry at you anymore, and I meant it."

"I don't see why you were angry at me in the first place."

"I don't think I should get into that too much right now. It would probably ruin everything I've built up until now."

Lillian knew what he was trying to say, so she did the same thing she always did when Dirk's conversations leaned this way. "I don't understand," she answered, frowning.

Dirk smiled and scooted over, leaving a patch of his coat for her to sit on. "Okay, Lillian," he told her, his voice understanding in a way that forced her to frown even more. "So what are you over here for? Where's Ash and the others?"

"In the cafeteria," Lillian answered, taking the seat he offered beside him. She glanced around the area, littered with couples amidst the team games, and felt her cheeks turn faintly red. It was a strange situation, she had to admit, and one she hadn't expected to spend with Dirk. This was something she would have thought of doing with Ash, after all. She stuttered as she said, "I came to look for you to see…why you did that this morning."

"I thought you could always use more friends."

Lillian clenched her hands into fist, attempting to sidetrack her frustration. "That's a lie. You acted like…you knew."

"Knew what?"

"Dirk!" she snapped, seizing his shoulders and giving him a good shake. He smiled all the way through it in a defying manner. "Tell the truth! How much do you know? Who do you know is involved? How did you find out?"

"I doubt I know anywhere near as much as you, and I doubt you'll tell me." He put his hands on hers and disentangled them from his shirt. She hated to admit that he looked especially nice in his usual white button down. When he didn't let her hands go, she pulled them free herself. She had been entirely too trusting of Dirk's past personality, and she was reluctant to put the same amount of faith into this new Dirk, who seemed much more aware of his actions. Whereas everything Ask did seemed new and a little tough for him, Dirk seemed to be calculating every step. He was as clever as Reina, she realized.

"Then just say what you do know!" Lillian returned her hands to her lap, staring determinedly into his eyes. "I want to help my friends and make sure…things go well for everyone. So I need help!"

Dirk sighed, looking fairly bored. "Why don't you just ask Ash for help?"

Lillian avoided his eyes, focusing instead on her hands as she spun them around the blades of well-kept grass. "Because Ash doesn't need to be troubled with everything that's going on. It would only make him worry about me and his friends. I can take care of this myself, so I will."

"Didn't he say something like, rely on me, please rely on me, Lillian dear, rely on me?"

He had said something very similar to that, and that was what pained Lillian the most. She had decided to rely on him, but if he found out that she was keeping this from him...he would think she had done the opposite. _I'm still relying on you, Ash_, she thought with a guilty grimace. She was relying on him to help her in ways he didn't realize he was helping her, but for now...for now she could not rely on him to take his friends' secrets into his own hands and struggle to make sense of them. "You're not funny," she told Dirk, her voice hot with bridled frustration.

"Lillian," Dirk told her, catching her attention with the firmness in which he spoke. "He'll be upset if he finds out you're keeping something from him. Especially if he finds out that has to do with me."

Lillian met his pointed eyes and said, "There's no reason for him to be especially bothered by that." Her voice was also rife with resolve. It seemed to strike Dirk, for he averted his eyes instantly towards the fountain, where a spiraling football made an enormous splash in the water only the cow and the chicken were spitting out properly today. "And…besides…he doesn't need to find out. I'll just keep it a secret until it's all settled and I can tell him."

"So you're going to lie to him until then. He won't be happy."

"_I_ won't be happy if he has to deal with this!" Lillian snapped. "He needs to focus on taking care of Bluebell and himself. That's his job. As president, he needs to lead. As vice president, I need to take care of things to ensure he can lead _properly_. That's all I'm doing."

"This goes way out of the boundaries of president and vice president, Lil." It could have been the implication, or it could have been the use of a nickname she had long stopped hearing him use and now associated solely with Ash, but she rose her hand to hit him and he caught it, holding tight.

Lillian yanked her hand free from him once again and rose to her feet. "If you're just going to act like this, then I'll find help from someone-"

He caught her hand again and said, "I know that it was Reina who put that photograph in Ash's locker, not Hiro."

Lillian fell back onto his coat, blown over by the surprise. "How do you know that?"

"I had some suspicions early on." He released her hand and leaned back, supporting his tilted weight. Lillian was surprised by the casual pose he was able to take as he revealed such information. "Hiro seemed to really like you – he was eager to help you out. I didn't see why he would turn on you. Then I saw a bit of what you saw between Reina and Ash's conversation. I went straight to the club afterwards, but she didn't show up for another ten minutes. It seemed a strange amount of time to pass by. Hiro gave me a really weak excuse for why he would do that to you. Knowing that Cam was the one who found your photograph was interesting, considering Reina used to be so close to him. You asked me what was going on with me and Hiro, and you didn't seem the slightest bit uncomfortable about him. Then your hints the other day and Reina's weird actions towards you…I realized it was probably her and asked the Oracle to help me gather as much information as possible. It seems Nori would be an enormous help in this situation, so we've been trying to get closer to her lately, and I thought introducing her to you would help as well by giving _you_ a chance to speak to her too."

"You really are smart," Lillian murmured, bringing her knees to her chest – careful not to tread on Dirk's coat – and resting her head upon them. When the Oracle had begun spending time with Reina and Nori, she had thought she was simply angry at Dirk, but it seemed that once again the two conspirators had gone beyond what Lillian had considered to reach for and found incredible possibilities. "I've had more clues than that and I was only able to understand because Hiro was kind enough to tell me what happened."

"I _am_ in the lead for valedictorian."

"Were you our middle school valedictorian, too?"

Dirk froze for a moment and then looked away. "No," he mumbled. Lillian lifted her head, surprised by the weight he let those words carry, surprised by the way he glared towards the empty track for several long moments and surprised by the way he said nothing else about the subject. Everything about his reaction dragged up suspicion, but she didn't have time to deal with it. He expertly moved the conversation along without another word towards her question. "I don't understand why Hiro told you everything, though. I had a feeling he must have, considering you seemed so comfortable with him and he always seemed to be forcing any guilty feelings when I asked him about it."

"Because he's my friend," Lillian answered as though it were perfectly obvious. "He didn't want me to think poorly of him and not trust him anymore. But he made me swear not to tell anyone because Reina had a good reason…and he believed her, so I believe him. I know she has a good reason. And she seems to think _I _can figure out that reason too."

"Friend, huh?" Dirk murmured, smiling. "You've made a lot of friends."

"They've always been my friends."

He laughed. "I must have been a rude awakening for you when you first arrived, then."

"You _were_ rude."

He feigned offense, but grinned at her. "You kept talking to me anyways, though, didn't you? Even when I told you to leave me alone, you were reluctant to do so and you tried to comfort me over and over again. Is that because we were friends?"

"It's because we _are _friends," Lillian replied, not even putting any thought into her answer. It seemed such an obvious truth that she didn't feel the necessity to avoid it. When she saw that shock flare in his eyes, however, she realized it might have been better for her to do the same as him and spin their conversation back into the one she had sought him out to have.

"You consider me your friend, even after all the hell I've put you and Ash through?" he asked, his voice soft and awestruck.

"Don't make such a big deal about it," she murmured, feeling embarrassed. "Your problem with Ash…it's not something I'll hold against either of you. Whatever happened between you two…is your business. I said some pretty mean things to _you_ too, and you still forgave me – you told me not to even bother apologizing. So…why shouldn't I forgive you for being rude? Anyways, let's just get back to the point."

"What if I said I didn't want to?" He leaned back once more, his lips turning into more of a smirk than a smile. "What if I said I wanted to talk about us and Ash and the past and the present and everything else but this petty school drama?"

Lillian did what she had to do. That was what she told herself when she once again said, "I don't understand what you're trying to get at, Dirk."

"That's getting really old."

"Hmm?"

He smiled and sat upright again. "So she made it sound like she thinks you're fully capable of figuring out why she put the photograph in Ash's locker?"

"Yes. She said she was smart and that the photograph was in Ash's locker but was found by Cam…and Cam told me that at the end of lunch Ash asked him to fetch his notebook from his locker for him because his locker is close to Cam's fifth block class. So I think she must have overheard that or found out about it somehow and then put the photograph into Ash's locker knowing Cam would find it…which means it was probably a split second decision. But I don't see how she would have the photograph already…"

"Do you still have the photograph?"

Lillian pulled it from her bag, crumpled up and wrinkled but still clear as day, and passed it over. He examined it for a mere second and then said, "Yeah, she took it with her polaroid, like I thought. She has an art class fourth block, and the teachers often allow students to take the cameras out for lunch and return them at the end. She had just enough time to take the picture, put it in the locker, and return the camera."

"So do _you_ think it was a sudden decision too?" Lillian asked, taking the photograph he passed back to her and carefully slipping it beneath the front cover of her textbook.

Dirk hesitated and then nodded. "I think she was looking for _something_ and then overheard that and instantly came up with the plan…Reina is remarkably smart. She's in the running for an impressive scholarship to a college in the city right now. All she needs now is one successful club curricular outing. She requested a spot on the Konohana club officers team so she could send it in. I would say that she has two very important motives right now. Either she did this to ensure that her club would get a better chance at winning so the scholarship would become a bigger possibility – being an officer on the winning team that wins a trip to a city where she can personally visit the college and turn in her application would be a great advantage – or she's doing it to get closer to Cam or something of the sort. I don't understand that really, but it seems the more possible. I don't know her past with him."

"Oh," Lillian murmured, her shoulders slumping in disappointment. So that was where Dirk's knowledge had run out. She was surprised to learn about Reina's scholarship, but it seemed more likely that it had to do with Cam, considering she herself had implied that. However, Lillian refused to divulge the information she knew about Cam and Laney's relationship and the effects it had on Reina with Dirk. Cam and Laney took every precaution to ensure nobody knew they were going out, and Lillian was going to do the same.

Dirk tilted his head to the side, tapping her forehead. "What do you know?"

"Nothing."

"You're a pretty poor liar, Lillian." The bell rang and he helped her up, snatching his jacket up and letting it flutter in the wind to rid itself of stray grass and dirt. "But I'll help you anyways. Give me a little more time to research and I'll get back to you with what I find out, alright?"

Lillian smiled gratefully, grabbing her textbooks as well. "Thank you, Dirk. Ah…that boy is calling for you."

Dirk frowned and looked over his shoulder before swearing. "He's in my club," he mumbled. "Always asking some stupid question. You go ahead to class. I'll meet up with you along the way."

"Sure," Lillian nodded. He looked like he had something more to say but she surged forward, keeping her head down. She needed Dirk's help and she wanted his friendship, but spending time with him lately she felt…she shook her head and continued on, and would have continued on in such a state had someone not caught her shoulders and forced her to stop.

"You're in a hurry," Ash told her. His smile, she thought, was a little forced.

"Have you been…looking for me?" she asked nervously. She had barely stepped into the school building and he had come up to her from behind. Could he have seen…?

He shook his head, shrugging. "You had your little secret errand, so I knew it'd be impossible to find you. I went outside to get a drink from the vending machine and I saw you heading in, so I decided to walk you to class. Here, I'll carry your textbooks for you."

Lillian smiled at him, handing them over. "Thanks Ash," she murmured, feeling relief swell through her as he grinned down at her as well. "I appreciate it."

"No problem," he told her. "Hey, look – was that guy in our fifth grade class?"

"Huh?" she asked, laughing. "That's a random question…the one with the blue backpack?"

"Yeah."

She examined him for a moment, and that moment was all it took for Ash to lift the cover of her textbook, remove the photograph, and slide it into his own textbook's pages. "No," she told him, turning back with a shrug. "I don't think I've ever seen him before, at least."

"Ah, I see. My mistake."


	18. Konahana and Bluebell Girls' Day

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Hey everyone~ Sometimes I check my story stats and legacy story stats to see how this story is going and I am consistently surprised with all the attention it's gotten. It's on its way to being my most popular story haha! Which is crazzyyy because I didn't think I could ever be as grateful as I was for the Admiration/Intertwined attention. It's also lovely because I have so much fun with this story and it's fantastic to see everyone else seems intrigued by it. I love reading all the insights everyone makes, it's fantastic. I do want to say if you're a fan of Daffodil, I'm really sorry for the wait for the next update! I'm caught up with college stuff lately but I'll get it settled and get an update out asap. But this is The City and I'm going to prioritize this and try to make sure it maintains its update every other day streak. :P Thanks for everything, I hope you all continue reading!_

* * *

On Wednesday morning the Oracle slid down the wall into a seat on the concrete beside Lillian, winking and elbowing her as she went. "You look nice today," she said.

Lillian offered a bashful grin in reply. Georgia had decided during the club block the day before that at lunch they would hold a fundraiser selling the punches Laney made to try and earn enough money for a club party. "The money we made from our last fundraiser is great," Georgia had said, "but it's important that we _save _that. Almost as important as it is that we throw a party for our club to thank them for all their hard work!" So now all three female club officers were wearing white skirts and blue t shirts with the club name written across it while the three males – Mikhail had been included, as per Lillian's request – were wearing white jeans with the same shirts.

"Thanks," Lillian answered. "You look nice, too."

The Oracle had begun wearing her normal attire the day before, but it was such a welcome return to norms that Lillian felt like complimenting her every time she saw her. She looked lovely no matter what she wore, but nothing suited here more than her simple, floor length dresses and hair loose and free. "Thank you!" the Oracle replied. "Are you excited for your fundraising thing today?"

"How did you know we…no, never mind. Er, yeah, I'm excited," Lillian told her with a smile. The truth was that Lillian was not quite so excited – she had been hoping to meet with Dirk and talk more about Nori's possible involvement and see if he had learned anything yet. Laney's depressed speech the day before had left her worried, and she wanted to help alleviate some of the stress on the girl's shoulders – even if she wasn't aware it was there – as soon as possible. Laney likely had no clue that Reina was still working on something that didn't seem to mean anything good for her, but Lillian knew, and knowing that Laney was already upset worried her greatly.

"Where's Ash?" the Oracle asked suddenly, looking around as though she had just noticed he was not there. "I hardly ever see you without him in the mornings."

Lillian frowned. Ash had called her the day before and said that he couldn't walk her to school that morning, but hadn't offered a reason why. "I have no clue where he is," she admitted. "He said he had something to do, though."

"That means it's my chance!" The Oracle wrapped her arms around Lillian, coddling her in an embrace that was more suffocating than sweet. Lillian yelped in surprise as the Oracle's laugh filled the air, and soon she too was laughing too as the bell called for them.

* * *

There was what Georgia called an "emergency club meeting" held at break, so as soon as class ended Laney, Mikhail and Lillian rushed towards the club room where Georgia was holding their secretive discussion. Lillian asked Laney if something had gone wrong, but Laney just laughed. "No," she told her. "Knowing Georgia, she's probably going to make sure we're all going to make this fundraiser perfect."

Lillian took a seat in the chair Ash was saving for her. He offered a small smile, but his eyes were red and tired. Lillian would have asked him what was wrong had her eyes not been caught by the whiteboard Georgia was standing before, which was _filled _with words written in tiny red ink. She squinted to read them and realized it was a list of rules to ensure the fundraiser went well. Georgia picked up the ruler that typically rested along the whiteboard's edge and slammed it against the wall, making everyone jump.

"Hello everyone!" she shouted, despite it being only a meeting for the six of them. "I want to make sure that this fundraiser goes _perfectly_." Lillian and Laney exchanged a look. "And to do that, I have a list of rules I want you to follow. Lillian! You read the first one!"

Lillian jumped when Georgia punctuated her name with another slap to the whiteboard. "Uh…" she squinted once more, leaning forward until Ash had to catch the back of her shirt to prevent her from falling. "Do not…give free drinks to friends."

"That means no free drinks to the Oracle, no free drinks to Dirk, and _definitely _no free drinks to _Kana_," Georgia hissed, slapping the ruler against the whiteboard with each name.

Lillian felt her cheeks blanch as she realized she had been singled out to read this rule for that reason alone. "Okay," she mumbled embarrassingly. Ash put a hand on her knee and gently squeezed it.

"Ash! Read the second."

"No…helping out fellow club members if they make a mistake. Focus on your own station."

"That means even if your girlfriend makes a mistake, you don't help her!"

Ash blushed as well. "Right," he mumbled.

"Georgia is a real tyrant when it comes to these kinds of things," Cam sighed.

"Cam! Rule number three!"

"…No making a mess?"

"I really don't think you'll break any rules, actually."

"Ah. Thanks."

The meeting continued on with all of them groaning and grimacing each time the ruler struck the whiteboard and their name was called with a new number to read. When the bell rang for the end of break they were all secretly relieved, though Georgia still had seventeen rules to go over. Ash ruffled Lillian's hair and promised to meet her at her door when lunch began to walk her to their stations, and Cam joined her side so they could walk to their third block.

"Georgia takes club activities really seriously," Lillian mumbled, embarrassed to have been forced to read every rule that had to do with Konohana club members.

Cam smiled reassuringly at her. "It's not that any of us thinks you'll actually give free drinks to every Konohana club member that walks up. She gets extremely paranoid anytime an important club event draws near. She had a lot of parties in her club last year, and she wants this year to be as fun for all of us…but I guess for something to be fun, you have to put the work necessary to do it in first."

That was a good way to put it, and Lillian smiled back at him. Cam was very calming – just like Laney. The more she thought about them being together, the more she realized how well they suited each other. "Georgia told me a bit about her club from last year," she confessed. "I want to help her to make this year good too."

He looked slightly surprised that Georgia had confided something to her, but grinned when the shock had passed. "Then let's do our best."

They teasingly shook hands as if to seal the deal, and so they did not see the girl before them. "Lillian, are you putting on a fundraiser at lunch?" Reina asked. "The Oracle told me something about it."

Cam froze, his eyes quite wide and his stance suddenly very stiff. Lillian wondered when he had last been so close to her. "Er, yeah," Lillian replied, struggling to keep her voice upbeat though the awkwardness of the situation dragged it down. "You should stop by and buy something from us! We're selling juice!"

"Laney made it, didn't she? Maybe I'll go to her stand and ask what she recommends."

"That would be nice," Lillian replied with a grin.

Reina smirked at her. "You're a nice girl, Lillian. I'll see you later. Bye, Cam."

He murmured what was supposed to be a goodbye, but came out jumbled and uncomfortable. Lillian looked after her with a nervous frown. "You two…used to be friends, didn't you?" she asked Cam, looking at him curiously as he watched her walk away.

"We used to be, yeah." He looked away, holding the classroom door open for her. "But that was a long time ago. We're not close at all now. That's the first time she's talked to me in about a year."

"Why did you stop talking?" Lillian asked. Obviously she knew the answer, but couldn't help it – every single word that came from Cam about her was a treasured piece of information she could relay to Dirk, who was admittedly brighter than she was. While she struggled to piece together the evidence she gathered about her friends, he struggled with gathering it and breezed through putting it together. It was a good idea for him to team up with the Oracle. The two of them together were a powerful duo.

Cam settled into his usual desk and Lillian settled into her usual desk right beside his. This class rarely left room for speaking, so she leaned towards him, silently urging him to say what he was thinking as soon as possible once the teacher began to write across the board. "I hurt her feelings," he told her in a small voice, barely audible even when she leaned in to him beneath the ringing of the bell that signified it was time for class to start. "I…made it seem like I liked her, and when she confessed to me and I turned her down, it really hurt her. I liked being friends with her, but I don't think she'll ever be friends with me again."

The teacher began to speak, so Cam leaned away and Lillian did as well. Laney hadn't told her that she had confessed…but did that mean that Cam hadn't told Laney? Lillian snuck a look at him and then turned her gaze to the teacher, a frown on her face.

* * *

Ash met her, Cam and Mikhail at the door, where they all said their goodbyes. Mikhail and Georgia were running their stations in the cafeteria, Laney and Cam were running theirs on each side of the school, and Ash and Lillian were running theirs in the back, near the fountain. He held his hand out to her and then hesitated, sweeping it through his hair instead. Lillian watched him closely as they walked through the crowded halls towards the stands Georgia had erected with Principal Rutger's permission that morning.

"You take the east end and I'll take the west, alright?" he told her, offering up a bright smile.

"Is something bothering you?" she asked.

Ash glanced at her and then grinned. "As long as nothing is bothering you, then nothing is bothering me."

Lillian smiled and nodded. "Okay. I'm glad."

"So, something's bothering him?" the Oracle asked, sprouting up next to Lillian a moment later when she began to pour the green and blue juices she was selling under the much more normal names of Lime Juice and Blueberry Juice into paper cups. Laney had told them she would be excused five minutes early from class to leave the pitchers she had prepared in the morning and left in the kitchens at their tables. _Georgia and Laney both – those two go through a lot of trouble for this club_, Lillian noted. She thought once more of Laney's determination to win and winced.

"I hope not," Lillian mumbled. "I don't know what's going on with him, but…"

The Oracle looked in the other direction.

"…What do you know?"

"I don't know anything."

"…You're lying!"

"Am not!" the Oracle protested. She purchased a cup of lime juice and then dashed away as Lillian cried after her, "Liar!"

"Way to rope in the customers," Kana told her, winking when she turned and looked at him. "My football team is thirsty, so I brought them all here!"

Lillian was forced to serve juice in the fastest manner possible to Kana's makeshift football team, which seemed to contain a varying amount of members at all times. They paid hastily, drank hastily, and tossed their cups _near _the trash can hastily. When they all cleared out she and Kana cleaned up behind them, both tied between rolling their eyes and laughing. "Thanks for helping out, Kana," she told him with a grin. "You know…Georgia is serving drinks in the cafeteria right now."

Kana hesitated and then shook his head. "She'll get thrown off if I go. I'll just help her out by purchasing as many drinks from you as possible. I'll be back in a bit to get another drink. But hey…thanks, Lillian. I appreciate it."

He punched her in the arm just as Georgia would have, but much lighter, thankfully. Lillian felt like that was the closest she would get to a thank you hug and waved him off towards his team, who were still convinced there was something going on between Lillian and Kana and now used his thank you punch as evidence. Lillian smiled as she paid for a cup of blueberry juice for herself. People could be completely off the mark sometimes and never realize it. She glanced over towards Ash and he instantly looked in the other direction. She smiled again as she lifted the cup to her lips, impressed with the taste of Laney's juice. Whatever was bothering Ash, she would do her best to help out with too.

She watched for a moment as his money jar steadily increased. Ash was popular with the customers – especially the females. They stood giggling before him as he grinned and took their money. Lillian felt a wave of envy wash through her as she watched. Since when had Ash become so popular? Of course, Lillian already knew – being the club president meant he was seen all the time. Him and Dirk were always the stars in competitions, were always seen speaking before crowds, and were watched constantly. She had to admit that they _were_ both attractive. Ash looked over at her and she hurriedly looked away, tossing her empty cup away and twirling her hair around a finger.

"Stop that, it's disgusting."

"You shut up," she told Dirk with narrowed eyes. "Buy something or go away."

"Wow." His eyebrows lifted slightly, a smirk on his lips. "I've never seen you talk that way before."

"Sorry," she mumbled, looking away with red cheeks. "What would you like?"

Dirk surveyed his two options as though he had a myriad of possibilities before him. Lillian sighed as minutes started to pass by and students started to go around him to order. When they were alone again she asked, "What are you doing?"

"Keeping your attention."

Lillian's eyes widened and she folded her arms, looking away. "Well, you're not doing a good job of it."

"I'll take the blueberry juice, then." She held out her hand and he dropped the appropriate amount of coins into it. "It's almost like déjà vu, isn't it?" he asked her cheerfully. "I bought juice from you before too."

"That's not a very happy memory."

"So you were sad when I asked you to stop talking to me?"

"You are so confusing!" Lillian cried out – shouted out, in fact. Kana looked at her and laughed when he saw who she was talking to, the Oracle laughed from around the corner of the building, and Ash looked over at her with wide eyes. She blushed when she saw the eyes on her and lowered her voice to say, "Are you messing with me? You're acting so different now-"

"I'm acting like I did when we were in seventh grade. If I asked you to treat me the way you treated me back then, shouldn't I be a person worthy of being treated in such a way?" He smiled at her when he had finished talking, taking a tiny sip of his juice. At least this time he didn't toss it away still full.

Lillian hesitated and then murmured, "I want you to act the way you normally act."

"I don't act any way normally," he answered with a shrug. "I can turn my personality on and off. I can act anyway I want to."

"Why would you do that?"

"It makes it easier to deal with different people. Not that I would say I'm 'dealing' with you. I'm just trying to be best friends forever."

She laughed despite her anger and shook her head. "I want to be friends with who you really are. Until you start acting more…I don't know, natural, I don't know how to talk to you."

"You got used to me being a jerk. You can get used to me like this." He patted her head and said, "Well, I'm going to go buy juice from Ash now. Here, you can have the rest of this." He put it in the hands she used to gesture her annoyance and waved as he walked over to Ash's stand and got in line behind two dark haired girls with wide grins. Ash met her eyes for a moment and mouthed _Is he being a jerk?_

She shrugged and shook her head. _I don't know_, she mouthed back. _He's acting weird_. But she didn't think he could tell what she said, and he didn't have time to think about it. He turned towards the girls and smiled, and she scowled at her stand.

"Hello, Lillian!" a bright voice sounded. Nori stood before her, hands folded over her simple blouse with coins clinking inside her grasp. "I'd like to help out!"

"Hi Nori," Lillian replied, turning her frustration off and her charm on. She suddenly felt that she understood a little bit of what Dirk had said. She was becoming more like him in a way – less naïve, less childish, less scared, more forward, more manipulative, more contemplative. She was taking in everything she admired from everyone else and using it to help her in her search for answers and stability in this frustrating situation. She couldn't blame him for doing the same. "I'm surprised how helpful the Konohana members have been. It's very appreciated."

Nori bought a cup of lime juice and dropped the coins into the money jar. Lillian was still holding her blueberry juice from Dirk and took a drink of it as the girl said, "Well, I like to see Bluebell doing well! Reina told me a bit about the fundraiser that she heard from the Oracle. I think it's a good idea to throw a party for the members! You look like you're doing well so far, too."

"We're doing a lot better than I expected. I guess getting something unique to drink for lunch is always a good attention getter." She smiled widely at her and then said, "I didn't realize you two were friends with the Oracle! We should all hang out sometime."

"That sounds fun," Nori replied. Lillian wondered if she was struggling to be amiable as usual or if she genuinely meant the words. "She's been spending a lot of time with us lately, and she's very easy to get along – and she knows a lot too."

They laughed over this joke, fully aware of what it was suggesting. "Thank you for your purchase!" Lillian told her when she excused herself, and they waved at each other as though they were best friends. Lillian grinned secretly to herself, tossing her empty cup into the trash can. It seemed Dirk and the Oracle really were working hard on this. If she worked hard too, she could force her way into their group and learn some more. She thought once more of Laney and nodded. She wanted her to always wear the kind smile she so often gave to Lillian. She wanted Cam to be free of the guilt in his eyes when he spoke of Reina, and perhaps she could do so if she understood this more. She wanted Hiro's feelings to be fully considered, and for Reina to shift her focus. She wanted to understand more than anything.

"I'm all out of juice," Ash told her ten minutes later, joining her side. "You've only got a little bit left too."

"You're really popular, Ash," Lillian told him, staring down at her table.

He tilted his head to the side, frowning when he saw her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Lots of girls seem to like you," she teased, turning a smile towards him. "You were busy most of the time serving them."

Ash watched her for a moment and then smiled, ruffling her hair. "Stop saying stuff like that," he told her. "I don't care about all those girls in line. They're just interested in some popularity contest. When Dirk came I got another huge flock, he's pretty popular too. Was he giving you a hard time?"

It was a cool change of subject. Lillian wished she was as good at shifting the conversation in the direction she wanted. The Oracle, Dirk, and even _Ash_ were just too good at it. That meant they were _always _in control of what they were talking about. _I want to be in control like that, too_. "He's just being frustrating. He's been acting completely different from how he used to since Friday. Did he give _you_ a hard time?"

"He just spent a long time choosing," Ash frowned, shrugging. Lillian smiled, thinking of how closely he had examined all of her juices. "You seem to be pretty close to him lately."

_He did it again_, she noted. Rather than continuing to talk about their jobs, he had delved further into her relationship with Dirk – even though _she _had tried to change the subject! Lillian tapped her frustrated fingers against the table as she said, "I guess. He wanted me to be more like his friend or something. What do you think of the Oracle?"

"Huh?"

_Not good_. She hung her head in despair and then said, "Never mind."

Kana appeared again, gesturing to her cups. "Looks like there's only enough for three left, so I'll buy it out so you two can hang out for the rest of the period."

"Thanks, Kana!" she answered cheerfully, hastily accepting his money and passing off the cups. "I'll see you next block."

"See you," he grinned, nodding his goodbye to Ash as he carefully carried the last three cups over. Ash grabbed her empty pitchers and stacked them with his, and she hoisted up their two money jars and stumbled under their weight. Ash laughed, linking his arm through handles of the pitchers and taking one jar from her. "Let me help out," he told her. "That's what friends are for, isn't it?"

"Okay," she answered cheerfully, shifting the jars in her arms until she was carrying just one and with a good measure of comfort. "Uh, do you talk to Nori much?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

Ash frowned and then gently tapped her shoe with his own. "What's up with you? You've seemed out of it all week. If something's going on…I want you to tell me."

"I know," Lillian replied. "If something is ever bothering _me_, I'll tell you."

"That was specific."

Lillian laughed nervously and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I couldn't tell you about other people's secrets, could I?"

"Other people's secrets, huh…but if it had _anything _to do with you…you would tell me, right?"

Lillian frowned towards him, tilting her head to the side. "Yeah, of course. You asked me to rely on you, didn't you? So I'm going to tell you as much as I can."

"Right…" Ash nodded, offering a smile towards her. A photograph of her seemed to have quite a bit to do with her, but if she was denying it…

Then he would just have to find out what was going on from someone besides her.

* * *

Georgia cheered excitedly onstage beside Ash, who watched her with a cross between amusement and annoyance, unnoticed by the club members who were riled up by her excitement. Lillian sat next to Cam, helping him count the money they had earned during lunch, while Laney struggled to type up all of the strange cries Georgia was making.

"This is a lot," Lillian mumbled. They had given up on mentally calculating it considering Georgia's words drowned out their thoughts and now made tallies for every coin they dropped from one jar to another, which also gave a good opportunity for talking.

Cam sighed in agreement. "Selling these was miserable. You and Ash got to at least see each other, but me and Laney were on the other side of the building from each other…but the Oracle bought half of my cups in one purchase, so that was helpful."

Lillian smiled as he lamented his distance from Laney and then raised an eyebrow at the Oracle's actions. "That's weird. She bought a cup from me too."

"She bought four cups from me," Mikhail noted from his seat across the table, where he had been given special privilege to sit with the officers so he could keep up a second record of Georgia's comments to help Laney, who was typing furiously. He was instantly reabsorbed as Georgia launched into some sort of motivational speech that included words such as "crush" and "destroy."

Cam shrugged. "She probably bought some from everyone. Who knows what she's thinking."

"Did you sell all of your juice?"

"Yeah." He looked a little proud of himself, but his eyes instantly drifted to Laney and then away. "She didn't sell all of hers, even though it was her juice. Only half of it sold."

Lillian followed his sympathetic eyes. "Maybe she was just in a less crowded area."

"Yeah," he nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. "That's probably right. Everyone loves Laney. It's hard not to."

He seemed to catch what he had said, but Lillian did her best to maintain a straight face and merely nodded as she continued to tally off coins. "Yeah, she's great."

Cam hesitated and then smiled, looking relieved again. Lillian smiled as well when he wasn't looking. _You'll have to do a better job of keeping it secret then that_, she thought with a touch of amusement.

* * *

"Have lunch with me today!"

"Uh…" Lillian raised an eyebrow at the Oracle, who had crammed herself in between her and Ash as they walked towards the cafeteria. "I told Ash that-"

"I'm having lunch with Nori and Reina!"

"Let's go!" Lillian seized the Oracle's hand and lurched forward before she thought of Ash and jerked them both back. "I'm really sorry about this. I promised Nori yesterday that we would all hang out. Sorry, Ash!"

He smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. If you promised your friends you'd eat with them, that's fine. I'll see you in club block."

"He seemed surprisingly okay with it," the Oracle noted, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "But…let's not talk about Ash right now! Let's talk about Nori and Reina! What questions are you going to ask them?"

"I'm not good at asking questions, and Reina is very good at not giving answers." Lillian frowned after Ash for a moment, sharing the Oracle's surprise. She had expected him to be a little insulted in her readiness to leave, but he seemed perfectly happy with it. Was he going to have lunch with someone else instead? He had stopped walking towards the cafeteria when she had told him, after all. She felt a new prick of jealousy as she turned back to the Oracle and asked, "Hey, what was up with you yesterday during lunch, anyways? You were acting sort of-"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"…Weird."

"I don't know what you're talking about so stop pestering me!"

Lillian couldn't help but laugh at the girl's frantic actions. "I'll find out eventually," she replied. "But anyways, you're going to have to handle asking questions. Reina doesn't bother answering me and if I ask Nori anything weird she'll probably intercept it."

The Oracle nodded, clapping her hands together. "It's like we're secret spies on a mission! Okay, here's the mission: find out as much as we can about Reina's relationship with Cam. Also…I suspect this might have something to do with Laney."

"Huh?" Lillian asked, instantly absorbed with panic. "Why?"

"Reina is too clever to leave any detail unhandled. If Laney was with Cam when he found the photograph, she probably planned that out too. So we must assume this has something to do with Laney, and that it has something to do with you – though I think you played a small part. I think you must have been a catalyst in this situation…that she used you to get what she wanted from them…ugh, it's bothering me! I can't figure it out!"

Lillian looked nervously over towards Laney and Cam when she entered the cafeteria. How much did this have to do with Laney? Reina obviously knew they were together, but the Oracle couldn't possibly know…even if it was _her_, this was information that hadn't been leaked out. So…how much had Reina been attempting to hurt Laney? Lillian avoided their eyes as she sat beside the Oracle, in front of Nori and Reina, knowing they would be confused as to why she and Ash were both absent during lunch. Georgia especially, she knew, would be furious about her eating with Konohana club members, though she would try to deny it.

"Hello," Nori told them cheerfully. "I'm glad you could join us, Lillian."

"Thanks," she replied with a smile. "Hi Nori, Reina."

Reina nodded a hello to her, but her eyes were doubtful and questioning. Lillian tried not to look into them for too long. She pulled a lunch she had packed at home from her bag and hoped that the Oracle did a good job of keeping the conversation going without getting her too involved. The more Lillian took part in the conversation, the more Reina would grow suspicious of her intentions.

"You're welcome to invite Laney and Cam and Georgia to have lunch with us too," Nori told her, glancing at Lillian's friends and rattling off their names as she went. "Oh, and Mikhail too, of course," she noted as they watched him join the table.

"Oh, it's alright. They're probably still going over the fundraiser details from yesterday," Lillian lied. It would be interesting to see how Reina acted if Cam and Laney were around, but she wasn't cruel enough to put them in that situation.

Reina glanced at them for a moment and then said, "How did the fundraiser go? Successful?"

"Yes, nearly everyone completely sold out of Laney's juices. They were a big hit," Lillian replied amiably enough.

The Oracle nodded eagerly. "They were fantastic! Laney is an excellent cook. So are you, Nori. Did you two ever try cooking together? I have a feeling it would be incredible."

Nori blushed and then, much to both the Oracle and Lillian's surprise, nodded. "We did used to cook together a lot, actually, but we haven't hung out much lately. Her dad always used to try our dishes for us since he runs his own sweets shop. When I made that fruit shiratama at the cooking competition we had, for example, that was something Laney taught me."

"It looked great," Lillian noted. "I wish I could cook like that."

"I can help you," Nori told her. Lillian beamed at her, distracted for a moment from the mission at hand. Nori was so nice and open that she couldn't help wanting to accept her assistance. "Or you could try asking Laney."

"Why don't we all get together and practice?" the Oracle declared. "A girl's outing for the club officers. Me, you, Lillian, Reina, Georgia and Laney."

Nori's smile froze. "Er, well…" she snuck a glance at Reina.

"That would be fine," Reina told the Oracle, her voice firm and strong. The Oracle didn't weaken under it, and smiled back at her

"Fantastic! How about on Sunday? Lillian's club party thing is going to be on Saturday, after all, so we'll have to accommodate for the Bluebell girls. We can all meet at…hmm, how about Laney's house? I'll go ask her!"

Lillian turn to the Oracle in horror. "I don't know-"

"But Howard would be the perfect taste tester," the Oracle told her. She looked suddenly up towards the cafeteria entrance, and Nori and Reina looked as well – but she caught Lillian's attention and winked. _Trust me_, she mouthed.

Lillian didn't want to, but she did. Having Reina around Laney and Cam…she had just thought about how unfair that would be, but here she was allowing it to happen! She grimaced and then turned to the girls with a smile. "How long have you two been friends?" she asked while the Oracle went to ferry the invitation over to Georgia and Laney.

Nori grinned and said, "Since we were kids. Reina and Hiro have always been close, but so have Reina and I."

"I see. That's great," Lillian noted with a smile. "Have you known Laney that long too?"

"Yep," Nori replied, still wearing her smile. "We weren't as close back then, but we bonded a lot in middle school and the first half of high school. We haven't talked much since…a while."

_Since…probably since Cam and Reina stopped talking_, Lillian realized. Nori had probably been forced to pick sides at that point. Did she know that Cam and Laney were going out? Reina denied it, but she had probably told Nori that Cam had turned her down in favor of Laney at the least. That left Nori no other choice – Reina was her best friend who had been heartbroken at the hands of the powerful bond between Cam and Laney. Being a best friend meant choosing sides sometimes. Lillian crossed her fingers and hoped Ash never put her in a situation like that.

"It's all set!" the Oracle announced. "Konohana and Bluebell Female Club Outing! With Cam too, I guess. But he can go hang out on his own. I'm excited!"

"Me too," Lillian and Nori said together.

"Yeah," Reina mumbled. "Fantastic."


	19. Surprise Party Guests

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Things are going to start picking up a bit in this story. Before I had the luxury of going over practically every day since Lillian started at Harvest High hahaha, but now things would be very painstakingly slow if I did that. So don't be too surprised if days skip ahead every once in a while. I'm never going to make a massive leap, but for those of you used to me at least noting one tiny event from each day, that might not always happen from now on. Sorry this update is a day late, I'm a terrible procrastinator who puts off college assignments until the day before they're due. -_- And my boyfriend has gotten me hooked on the mmorpg Grand Fantasia, so I have been struggling to catch up to his level hahaha. Thank you guys for waiting, reading, and reviewing despite my random lateness haha! I'll do my best to keep these chapters running regularly because I adore writing this story. (: Oh and some of you expressed an interest in seeing the Konohana/Bluebell girls' day but when I reached the end of this chapter and saw it was almost 6000 words I decided to hold it off until the next chapter hahah, or else this one would be incredibly long and it would take longer for me to get out. So look forward to seeing that next time! Hope you guys enjoy reading~_

* * *

"Are you excited?" the Oracle asked cheerfully. "We've got quite the busy few days ahead of us! Tomorrow is the club competition, the day after is your club party, and then it's our girl's day with Reina and Nori! And Laney, Georgia and Cam. But really they're just catalysts, in the grand scheme of things. Except Georgia. Well, then again, she does get riled up easily…"

Lillian's expression soured. "I don't know," she muttered. "It's…mean."

"What are you two whispering about?" Kana asked, sitting in Lillian's usual seat. "And sitting here is really weird. And you can't leave me out like this!"

The Oracle rolled her eyes. "It's girl talk."

"Girl talk…from you?"

"Do you think I'm not a girl?!"

"No!" Kana protested immediately, his cheeks red. "Of course I…I mean you're very…you're _obviously_…never mind."

The Oracle winked at Lillian, but Dirk just shook his head. "You're terrifying," he murmured. "Anyways, what are you two whispering about?"

"You can know," the Oracle told him, leaning in to whisper the details of their conversation. Kana made a face and pointedly folded his arms as he turned to stare out the window. Lillian caught snippets of the whispers – a recap of the lunch from the previous day, retelling of Reina and Nori's exact words, and a surprise mention that Ash had gone in the direction opposite the cafeteria after Lillian had told him what her plans were.

Dirk leaned back and sighed. "That's not very helpful. At all."

"I thought it would be fun."

He was quiet for another moment before turning to Lillian and saying, "Well, good luck."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're going to need some good luck," he retorted with a grin.

"Are you talking about the club competition?" Kana asked, leaning forward eagerly in the hopes that he wasn't going to be left out of this conversation. Reluctant to let him down, Lillian and the Oracle exchanged a look and then nodded, offering encouraging smiles as he beamed back at them. "I heard it's going to be a series of races against club members instead of officers! They're going to draw numbers and match up and then see which numbers get picked for the races."

The Oracle and Dirk exchanged a look and asked together, "How did you know that?"

"I dunno. I hear things sometimes."

Dirk shrugged. "Everyone in this school is a freak," he mumbled under his breath.

* * *

"Er, Cam…I was wondering…if I could ask you something."

Cam turned to Lillian with surprise. She had asked him questions before, but now that he turned to see her cheeks so red and her expression so nervous, he could have assumed she was about to confess to him. However, he knew her far too well to make that assumption. He smiled and said, "Is it about Ash?"

"…Has he been…acting weird around you?"

"Hmm? No, not at all," Cam shrugged. "He came over yesterday, the day before…every day this week, actually. The other morning he even walked with me to school. He's been just like usual. You know, before you moved here, we used to walk to school and hang out afterwards every day, so to me it just seems more normal."

Lillian looked towards the window for a moment. The easy way Ash had left her at lunch, the disappearances, the sudden time taken to hang out with Cam rather than her…was he…avoiding her? She nodded and said, "Oh, okay. That makes sense. If he's been just hanging out with you in his spare time, then that's a relief. I was wondering where he had been disappearing off to so much."

Cam grinned, patting her hand gently before he returned to his drawing. "Don't worry. Ash and I have been friends for a long time. If I notice something wrong with him, you'll be the first person I consult."

Lillian smiled gratefully towards him, but couldn't help feeling a sting of envy. She had never imagined that Cam could see a side of Ash she never would, but now had to consider it. Cam had been friends with Ash while she was gone. If he was choosing to spend his time with Cam lately, than that probably meant he missed his old friend. She shouldn't have been bothered by that…but she couldn't help but feel a little bit upset. He was her closest friend, and she wanted to think that if he wanted to spend more time with his other friend, he would just tell her that rather than tell her he was too busy to spend time with her and disappear only to hang out with someone else.

_Maybe this is how he felt_, she wondered. _Always thinking that I was choosing other people over him…that I was never choosing to rely on him_. She had to admit – it hurt.

"Oh, I just remembered – since you, Georgia, and the Konohana girls are meeting up at my place this weekend, I invited Ash so I wouldn't be the odd one out. Is that alright?"

"Yeah," Lillian told him, grinning. "Don't want you to feel left out, after all!"

They laughed, but Lillian couldn't help entertaining a streak of panic. The more Ash learned about her plans, the more he would learn about how many secrets she was withholding and how much she was running around from person to person behind his back, investigating everyone's past. What would he think, if he looked at her and the Oracle clearly trying to figure out something about Reina and Nori?

_I'll act natural_, Lillian decided – but she already knew that was out of the question. She had to do her best to find out what Reina was up to, even if that meant deceiving Ash right before his face.

* * *

"We _lost_!"

Georgia's voice rang out despairingly across the crowd of disappointed Bluebell members who had failed her. Lillian suspected that, if her mood had gone unchecked another moment, she would have taken a swing at a poor sophomore who had likely joined Bluebell hoping to have fun and make lots of friends only to trip during her race and end the tie the clubs had dredged up for the past hour and a half. Luckily for that girl, Ash stood defensively before her and said, "It's one loss! We're going to have a good time tomorrow and regroup."

"They're beating us in points, you know. Konohana is." Georgia snapped. "We have three points less than them with this new win, if you count how many points they were docked and we-"

"I know, Georgia," Ash answered, his voice firm. "We lost. They're winning. I can fully comprehend that. Yelling at our club members for trying their hardest is not going to change that we lost. I, for one, am impressed with how well everyone competed in their individual races. It's been a hot day and standing out here watching races for so long is tiring. She _tripped_. She didn't throw the competition or something. It was an accident."

Laney was holding onto Georgia's arm, gently attempting to pull her friend from the fray. Lillian now thought that it was _Ash_ that Georgia would strike. She stepped forward but was caught by Cam, who pulled her back. "You don't want to get involved in this," he murmured. "Georgia will not forgive you for it."

"But Ash-"

"Can take care of himself."

Lillian looked at Cam for a moment longer and then took another step back, though she was clearly not happy about it. Cam knew Ash very well – she knew that much. They were best friends. She hadn't been forced to confront that idea very much, and had considered it simple fact, but the day before it had stung and _now_ it stung even worse. Cam knew when Ash needed help and when he didn't need help. Cam believed in him, believed that he would be able to handle things on his own. Lillian clenched her hands into fists, struggling to hold down her frustration. She was able to sit back and watch everything _else_ fall deeper and deeper into complication and trouble, but watching Georgia snap at Ash and begin to berate him for his ineptitude as president stung.

"Georgia, stop it!" Laney pleaded. "You're going to be docked points for treating him like this, and for treating the whole club like this…"

_Will she? _Lillian wondered. _Will _you_ dock her points?_ The other buzzer was likely sitting in that sea of students right now, either shocked at what was going on or so far in the back of the crowd they couldn't hear a thing. She lurched forward, prepared to do something no matter what Cam said, but this time another person grabbed her, heaving her back. "For Goddess' sake," Dirk sighed. "Cam, you've got quite a handful in this one. You'd better just go calm down your friend before Lillian springs out and turns this into a free for all."

Cam was obviously reluctant to accept assistance from Dirk, but nodded and walked towards Ash, who was now shouting, "If you stopped being so damn selfish, you'd realize we're doing our best, Georgia!"

"If you opened your eyes and realized that our best is _second _best you'd stop being so calm!" she protested. "Maybe you're okay with being second best for the rest of your life, but I'm _not_!"

Dirk's eyes widened, his hands still wrapped around Lillian's waist in an attempt to restrain her. Mikhail was ushering the club members towards the club room, calling out to Laney that he was going to debrief them on where they were meeting for the party next day. The blonde called out a desperate thanks in reply, and Lillian was mollified to see that Laney and Mikhail had been forced to accept leadership positions in lieu of her and Ash.

"He's not gonna be pleased about that," Dirk mumbled under his breath. "Let's go, vice president. You've got a club to take care of."

"Did you hear that?" Lillian argued. "I can't let them fight like this! I especially can't let Georgia say things like that to Ash and-"

"You said you were going to take care of him – that you were going to do whatever it took to give him the go ahead to lead. You would take care of everything so he could lead properly. Are you changing your mind now? Because at this moment he needs to handle a club member's disapproval of his current leading and he needs someone to make sure the other club members don't get riled up and start doing the same thing! So are you going to lead in his place or not?"

Lillian and Dirk looked at each other for a moment longer before Lillian pulled from his grip. "You do something then," she told him. "Promise me."

"Why should I help him?" Dirk asked, looking genuinely taken aback. "I know I said I'd try to be friends with him, but after how he's been _lately_…and suddenly trying doesn't make me stop hating him! _And_ he's on the opposite team-"

"Please!" Lillian interrupted. "You said I could rely on you!"

She didn't linger to hear his reply. She jogged after Mikhail, struggling to reach the front of the group. _He'll do it_, she thought. She knew he would. She had given him no other choice. It seemed even she had the potential to be as manipulative as Reina and the Oracle and Dirk himself. Part of her was proud of herself, and the rest of her hated herself for bending Dirk's words to force him to do something he didn't want to.

"Sorry about that, everyone!" she called from the podium when they had settled into the club room again. "We all know how hard Georgia has been pushing us to win. This means a lot to her, and as sergeant at arms of Bluebell, she's very invested in winning this club competition. However, she is completely caught up in the loss right now, and I don't want anyone to be offended by what she said in the heat of the moment. Georgia does not blame any of you for the loss, and neither do I or Ash or any of the other Bluebell officers."

_What's gotten into Georgia?_ She wondered as she stared out at the doubtful faces before her. "It sure sounds like she thinks it's our fault!" one boy called out.

"When she calms down, she'll definitely feel terrible about all of this and come to apologize to you. After all…she's the one who set up this party for everyone. Getting to the city means a lot to all of us – especially Georgia – so please, don't hold a grudge against our sergeant at arms for this…" _Will she feel bad_? Lillian wondered fretfully. What if this was how Georgia felt every time they lost? But…she thought back to when they had lost before, and how Ash had been able to cheer her up with the prospect of a celebration and no points docked from the buzzer. They had been docked one point from the buzzer this week – for what, she wasn't sure. Was that what was bothering Georgia? A single point? _...No…it has to be more than that…_

Whispers were running rampant through the Bluebell crowd, and Mikhail cleared his throat behind Lillian. She took the hint and called out, "Please come to the party tomorrow. Neither the president nor I hold any ill will against anyone, just as you all were so kind to us throughout our wins and losses. This party is for all of you, and we'd all love for you to come."

Some people cheered excitedly, but Lillian could see the resentment lingering in the faces of everyone. The sophomore girl, she saw, was slinking out the back door. Would she be back on Monday? Lillian exchanged a look with Mikhail, and he simply shrugged. "You did good," he told her.

"Everyone, you're dismissed!" she called out, shooting a nervous smile towards Mikhail. "I've got to go check on them," she told him as soon as the members began to clear out. "Can you lock up today? I'm really, _really _sorry to trouble you so much…"

"It's fine with me," Mikhail told her, smiling.

"Hey."

Lillian and Mikhail both spun to face a group of four boys and five girls, all with their arms folded and glares on their faces. One boy, who was loudly smacking his gum, stepped forward and said, "You're the club vice president, so you have a lot of power, right? And you're dating the president?"  
"We're not dating."

"…But you're close?"

"Yeah."

"We want Georgia to step down from the officer position," a girl behind him said. She had tear tracks on her face, which stunned Lillian. Georgia had been harsh but…harsh enough to make someone cry? She thought of the furious glint in her eyes as she screamed out about their loss and averted her own eyes from the girl's. She felt guilty already. "I don't care if she stays in this club. She doesn't have much of a choice – I know that. But I want someone else to take the position she's in. She's _mean_."

"She is," the boy agreed. "She's not a good fit at all. I thought this club would be fun, but she's making it miserable. I hate her stupid rules! They were funny at first, but I don't remember them all anymore!"

"And rule number 120 – always tie your shoes? Why?" another boy asked, throwing his hands up into the air for emphasis. "It doesn't even make sense!"

Mikhail looked nervously towards Lillian, who felt panic shifting through her. "Georgia has been in this club all four years of high school, and it means so much to her…she's already on the lowest position of club officers-"

"But _you_ let her act like she's the president!" The girl who had spoken earlier met Lillian's eyes with a pointed, annoyed look. "She can stay in her little made up position if you feel too bad for her to kick her out, but if she does, then you need to take the leadership role and stop letting her yell at us all the time!"

Lillian met the girl's eyes. There was a long silence filling up the empty club room, and she thought of Georgia's confession to her in the back of the school as they sat on either sides of the tree. Would she be able to help Georgia like she had hoped? That day seemed very, very far off. "Okay. I'll make her stop with the rules and everything. Thank you for coming to speak to me about what was troubling you."

The nine members breathed a collective sigh of relief and left the room looking considerably cheered. "We'll see you at the party tomorrow, vice prez!" they called. "Thanks!"

"See you then!" Lillian called after them. When they walked out the door, her smile fell instantly into a frown.

Mikhail met her eyes for a few seconds occasionally, but both found it difficult to talk about what had happened. Finally he said, "Are you going to…ask her to step down? Or are you going to tell her she can't do any speeches anymore? Either way…she'll have to be treated like just a club member to keep everyone happy."

"I'm going to see what's going on with her and then…go from there. Depending on what her reason is for today…I don't know. But…Mikhail?"

"Yeah?"

"…If I ask her to step down, will you become the sergeant at arms?"

"…Yeah."

"Will you not tell her this?"

"Okay."

Lillian met his eyes again for a moment and then walked towards the door, leaving Mikhail to sigh sadly to himself. She wanted to deliberate further on what she _should _do – at a time when the club was in a vulnerable position, Georgia had yelled at them and hurt them, but Mikhail had taken charge and helped lead them back to the clubroom. She had always thought that he deserved some officer position, and she knew even if she gave Georgia the slightest bit of power, she would take advantage of it – more rules, more structure, more unnecessary pushing. But no matter how Georgia had acted, Lillian believed that she had a reason – but what reason justified those actions? Did it not justify her being kicked off of the club? How would the club members react if she did absolutely _nothing_ to soothe their ruffled feathers? She would have thought about it further had she not looked up to find Dirk, Hiro and the Oracle waiting at the door. The Oracle smiled at her and said, "Hello! We just wanted to stop by so I could let you know that I invited – Lillian? What's the matter?"

Lillian shook her head. Guilt and anger and frustration poured from her in silent waterfalls. _Why _would Georgia act like that? Could she really tell her own friend that she either needed to stop being sergeant at arms or needed to stop acting like herself? How had she been able to stand there and act so calm when the club members had confronted her? The girl she had been in that moment seemed foreign. Who was that person, willing to hurt her friend for the better of the club? She hated the clubs. She hated them! She hated them almost as much as she hated Georgia in the moment for lashing out at the club members and at Ash.

"I'd better go find Ash," she murmured, slipping between Hiro and Dirk. The latter grabbed her hand and said, "He went home with Cam."

Lillian stood very still for a moment and then broke free, rushing down the hallway. "Lillian, wait!" Mikhail cried out behind her. He was echoed with Hiro's cry of, "Lillian! Tell us what's the matter!"

She sprinted down the steps of the school's entrance and looked out towards the walkway. Cam and Ash were already long gone. She swore in her mind and stared down at the dirt path that they had used to walk together every day. When she heard footsteps behind her, she instantly said, "I want to be alone, please."

"I know you don't want to talk to me right now," Dirk mumbled, his voice embarrassed in a way she had never heard before. "I know you want him. But…I came anyways."

"I can see that."

"You haven't actually looked at me yet."

Lillian turned to him, tears in her eyes. "I'm not in the mood right now, Dirk. I don't know what to do, I…I don't know why he's upset with me."

"He's not upset with you," Dirk murmured, crossing the distance between them. He tentatively stretched his arms out towards her and then pulled her into a hug. She didn't set her arms around him, but she didn't pull away, either. "I promise."

"How would you know?"

"Just trust me, would you?"

"…Okay."

Dirk smiled, squeezing her to him for a moment before pulling away. "Georgia was really riled up. Laney walked home with her. She was crying, you know. I uh…I don't know much about what's going on with your clubs, but I think you should…focus on your friends right now."

Lillian stared at the floor. Footprints littered the dirt, overlapping each other over and over until they were indistinguishable. Dirk's fresh footprints were all she could make out from the others. "I know that. I want to focus on them and ignore the impact it has on the club, but I don't know if I can do that. I promised I would make things easier for Ash to lead. When he comes back to school on Monday…or maybe even when he sees everyone at the party tomorrow…he'll find out the mess we've gotten into that I don't know how to fix."

"He'll help you." Dirk put his hand on Lillian's head, and he ruffled her hair. She frowned at the action, but her eyes widened as she saw that his eyes were downcast and miserable. "He'll do anything for you. You could make the entire club riot and he still wouldn't blame you. It's not like you blame him for anything either."

"…Dirk." Lillian felt the conversation edging towards the area in which she always feigned ignorance, but Dirk didn't allow that this time. He smiled at her and gestured towards the pathway. "Hurry up," he said, moving back several steps to grab her belongings that he had brought with him to the front entrance. "I'll walk you home."

"Why?" she asked.

Dirk sighed. "Don't ask stupid questions."

Lillian hesitated and then smiled at him, taking her backpack when he passed it to her and holding her textbooks to her chest as they followed Ash and Cam and the rest of the school's faded footsteps towards home.

* * *

Laney and Cam picked Lillian up the next morning to head to the party, both looking highly uncomfortable. "How did everything go with the club yesterday?" Cam asked, sitting in the front seat beside Howard.

"Not very good," Lillian admitted.

Laney put her hand gently on her knee, offering a very small reassuring smile. "It's okay, Lillian. Georgia is really apologetic about everything she did. She's already ahead of us, with Ash, so she can apologize to him. Everything is going to work out eventually."

Lillian glanced suspiciously towards Laney. She wasn't sure what it was, but _something _in Laney seemed off – her voice, perhaps, was a little colder despite her warm appearance. She seemed…unhappy. And being unhappy was understandable, considering their friends were fighting and their friends' fight had become so important it had an effect on the club they ran, but being unhappy was not wholly understandable for _Laney_. Even in the worst situations, Laney had been their rock, full of pep talks and encouragement. Now saying that something was going to work out and then turning to stare out the window as though she didn't believe her own words – that was not Laney-like in the least.

Fortunately even Cam seemed to notice this, which gave Lillian an incredible amount of relief. With Georgia's issue now taking possession of her mind, she wasn't sure she'd be able to worry over Laney simultaneously. With her boyfriend watching over her, she would be okay. Howard looked over towards Cam and he swung his face back towards the window, his eyes nervous as he watched the scenery pass by. Lillian sighed and did the same.

* * *

The venue they had chosen to host the party – or really, the venue _Georgia _had chosen – was already full. It was as wholesome as could be, with Principal Rutger greeting people at the door and Principal Ina clearly an unwilling guest. They were both holding the punch Laney had been forced to make in large amounts, and so were many of the club members milling around. "At least everyone seems to like it," Laney noted. "I hope I made enough."

"I'm sure you did," Cam told her gently, though with Howard watching from the car he was as far away from Laney as he could be, with Lillian standing between them.

"Hello you three!" Principal Rutger told them excitedly. "Nothing like a party to get rid of those post-loss feelings, eh?"

Laney grimaced and nodded, and Cam mumbled an agreement. Principal Ina sighed at Rutger's frequent failures at cheering up his club and said, "It's still barely the beginning of the year. Go have some fun. Putting so much hard work into your club, you've earned it!"

The three friends hurried inside so they didn't have to listen to Principal Rutger's argument that they were _his _students to comfort. Lillian was still sure that Rutger wanted _someone _to achieve what the farmer in his childhood had given up on, but sometimes he made that more difficult than he realized. "I wonder where Ash is," Cam murmured, looking out towards the crowd.

"I wonder where Georgia is," Laney replied.

"Oh Goddess," Lillian cried out, putting her face in her hands.

"What is it?" Cam asked, eyes wide at her reaction.

"Nothing, nothing!" She hastily shook her head, putting her hands on both of her friends' shoulders and giving them a push forward. "You two go ahead and find Georgia and Ash. I'm going to go try to say hello to everyone and make sure they're feeling alright. Have fun!"

Laney and Cam exchanged a disgruntled look, but Lillian was already dashing away when they began to protest, and they were forced to continue their searches. Lillian pushed through the crowd until she reached a girl with her hood up, hiding a mass of curly hair, wearing a very long skirt…

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the girl replied without turning to look at her.

"I know it's you!"

The Oracle spun around with a grumpy expression on her face. "I paid for half of the drinks you guys were selling. Didn't I pay for myself to come here?"

"No! The only way you can come here is if you're actually _in _our club and – and how did you get in? That is a terrible disguise. How did the principals not recognize you?"

The Oracle led Lillian to a corner of the building, shrouded by the shadows cast from the fluorescent lights. "Maybe you're the only person who thinks this is a bad disguise. I thought I worked very hard on it…"

"Why?" Lillian repeated. "Why are you _here_? I don't get why you'd want to come…are you and Dirk trying to do something?"

"I am a free agent. I don't need Dirk," the Oracle answered. "And I came here _before _the principals arrived, to answer your previous question. I was allowed in by a club officer. I have every right to be here."

"Lillian!" Laney's voice called out. "I found Ash!"

Lillian spun, struggling to attempt to cover the Oracle from view as Laney headed towards them, pulling Ash by his wrist. She swallowed hard as she faced the prospect that he had been unwilling to come see her, if he had to be dragged about so. "Thanks for letting me know, Laney," Lillian told her in a nervous voice. "You two don't have to stop whatever you were doing for my sake though, I understand if you have other things to do…"

"What else would we have to do?" Ash asked, smiling gently towards her. "It's a party. We don't have to do any work for today."

Laney looked between the two of them and cleared her throat, gesturing towards Cam and saying, "I'm going to go see if we can find Georgia now. I'll talk to you two later."

"I'll go too!" the Oracle replied, the high pitch she threw into her voice pathetically false as she rushed off, pulling free when Lillian tried to catch her and disappearing into the crowd. Lillian heaved a frustrated sigh as she watched her disappear, once again able to escape answering any questions about her odd behavior.

She turned to face Ash, who turned to face her. Lillian felt a nervous sensation crawling through her skin, a tingling discomfort running through her. She had never felt awkward with Ash before, but found now she had no idea what to say to him. Everything that she had learned about him, everything that she had thought about him, everything that she was unsure about him – it all grew together and left her afraid to speak to him for the first time in her entire life.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked, his head tilted to the side, a frown on his lips. Lillian wondered if he felt the same way as her, or merely felt her own discomfort coming off like radiation.

"Nothing," she lied hesitantly.

Ash looked at her closely and she was sure he was about to press and ask her to tell the truth, but he did not. He put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair. This time, she thought of how Dirk had done it before in an attempt to comfort her. He had been attempting to make her feel the same way she felt when Ash did it. Now, when Ash did it, she didn't feel comforted in the least. She felt like he was patronizing her. She stared at the floor as he said, "Okay. I've got to go find someone, so you have fun, alright?"

"Okay," she answered. She chanced a look up at him and saw a flash of concern in his eyes before he turned and walked in the other direction, waving over his shoulder.

She stared after him for a moment and then forced herself to move forward. She couldn't worry about herself for now. If Ash wanted to go spend time with someone else, then that was his choice. It was none of her business. Every step forward ached, but she pushed on, constantly looking to find the Oracle. No matter how much she looked however, it seemed to be in vain – the Oracle had disappeared, though Lillian hadn't seen anyone wearing a hooded jacket go through the doors. It just _figured _that she would evaporate away the moment she was found.

Lillian spun, prepared to go find Mikhail instead, only to slam right into another person. "I'm so sorry!" she blurted out, looking up to the boy with heavy sunglasses and a jacket. "I…what are _you_ doing here?"

"Damn," Dirk mumbled. "I've been able to avoid you all day, and then you just stumble onto me. Isn't that just like you?"

"The Oracle said you weren't here!" Lillian hissed in frustration. "And how can nobody recognize you?"

"I don't give them a chance to," Dirk shrugged, but his eyes were wide. "Why is she here?"

Lillian stared at him for a moment and then sighed, covering her face. "I've been doing my best as club vice president," she murmured, more to some sort of entity than to Dirk. "I've done my very best. Why is this happening? Why? What did I do?"

Dirk laughed, shaking his head. "You worry too much. I was invited by a club officer. Don't fret. I'm allowed to be here."

"What?" she gaped. "You and the Oracle were _both _invited here by a club officer? What club officer? Who is letting you two in?!"

"She was too?" Dirk asked, looking equally surprised. "Sorry Lillian, I've got to go see if I can find her."

"But-"

"Don't worry," he told her, poking the corner of her mouth, forcing a reluctant half-smile. "Looking so depressed and freaked out all the time doesn't suit you. I'm not here to interfere in your club business, so go take care of things."

Lillian prepared to protest some more, but smiled as Dirk's hand landed comfortingly on her shoulder. "Alright. If that's how it is…then go take care of whatever you need to. But don't let anyone see you here! The buzzers will dock so many points…"

"I won't, I won't. Only one person knows I'm here anyways."

He smiled at her, squeezing her shoulder before he turned and blended into the crowd. Another student caught Lillian's eye and waved, and then she looked back and he was gone. _I don't understand those two at all_, she thought, struggling to hold in her frustration as she looked around. What club officer would let them in? She had a rather hard time imagining it was Georgia or Ash, who each had their respective reasons to keep out Konohana or simply Dirk. Considering Laney's job was to report incidents like Konohana members at a Bluebell party, Lillian didn't think _she _had anything to do with it. As for Cam…what motive could he possibly have? He hardly even knew Dirk or the Oracle.

_I don't know_, she thought in frustration, taking a seat beside the punch table. Ash, Dirk, the Oracle, Laney, Georgia, even Cam…mysteries. She sat back in her chair and then smiled as Mikhail took a seat beside her, though her smile didn't last as long as she wanted it too.

"You look worn out already," Mikhail told her, offering a small smile in return.

"There's lots of things I'm worried about," Lillian replied.

Mikhail hesitated, looking nervously out towards the crowd, and then said, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Lillian prepared to turn him down, and then smiled. "…Sure. Yeah, I'd like to talk about it."


	20. Slip of the Tongue

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything related to it._

_**Author's Note**__: __**Twenty **__chapters! God it's crazy. I never thought I'd have a story go on this long hahaha. Thank you all so much for reading this far already, I hope I continue to hold your interest with the chapters to come. However I really hope that these chapters don't continue taking a long time to get out. I'm sorry this one is pretty late! I dunno, like two days late? It feels realllly late haha. My boyfriend has been really sick and now has an ear infection so I've been spending a lot of time doting on him. Plus this chapter was honestly just hard to write. Absolutely nothing happens in the usual setting of school, but a lot still happens. I hope you guys are satisfied with it~ It was the most difficult thing I've had to write so far just because the subject matter and the struggle to keep characters actually in character in these volatile situations. Well that's enough of my talking. Please enjoy!_

* * *

Mikhail and Lillian sat on the grass before the party's steadily emptying venue, beneath the shade of a tree slowly submitting to autumn. It was cold, but Lillian did her best not to give that away. Mikhail was so kind he would tear off his own coat to protect her from the weather in an instant. He would probably do the same for any passing stranger. From their entire conversation she had grasped one thing – he was a good person, and the gentle way he watched her and nodded his head as she spoke showered reassurance and comfort upon her shoulders.

"I think you're doing a good thing," he told her kindly. "Keeping Ash out of the situation as much as possible…well, it's for his own good. It'd only worry him if you told him too much, after all. I think you going through so much to try and help him and Laney and Cam and everyone else without them having to trouble with knowing they're _in_ trouble…it's quite nice of you, Lillian."

Her breath came out in a slow huff of relief. "Thank Goddess," she murmured, her hands folded neatly in her lap, her shoulders straighter. "I'm always worried about not telling everyone about this all…I'm afraid they'll be angry with me for not telling them."

Lillian couldn't say for sure what had brought her to tell Mikhail so much. He knew nearly everything she did, minus several very particular secrets she didn't think needed to be shared – the romantic feelings of her friends. He knew everything about the photograph, about her assistance from Dirk, about the Oracle and her strange actions, about Laney being the buzzer – even about Ash's behavior as of late. He wasn't the first person she would have ever picked to share her soul with – Ash of course was the one she would have normally turned to, and perhaps Dirk or the Oracle next. However, with everyone seeming to be caught up in something much bigger than her, she felt a pressing need to speak that had been lifted from her shoulders the moment words began tumbling from her mouth to Mikhail, who had moved the conversation outdoors when he realized it was a lofty one.

"I'm sure they'll understand," he answered. "And I'm certainly not going to tell anyone. I…I can't tell you how much it means to me, that you chose to tell me what was bothering you, Lillian. I know it must be troubling you that Ash is acting strangely lately, and I know that is likely the only reason you sought me out as a confidant…but still. Nobody has ever told me their secret before."

His lonely grey eyes turned towards her, and she felt a pang of empathy. Secrets she had rarely found from the person they regarded – only been told or discovered in underhanded manners. It would have meant a lot to her had Laney or Cam shared their relationship with her, or had Reina confessed her feelings to her. When the Oracle or Dirk or Ash told her things that they knew, she felt an incredible surge of belonging – knowing that she had passed that onto Mikhail made her feel even more like she had made the right choice. "I didn't tell you just because I couldn't tell Ash," she murmured. "I trust you, Mikhail. I know you wouldn't tell anyone about any of this, and I know you would hear me out. Thank you, for listening to me."

They smiled at each other, and then shared a soft laugh at the discomfort that followed. Baring your soul left an awkward aftermath in which every other conversation topic suddenly seemed unimportant. Finally Mikhail noted, "It's going to be difficult tomorrow, isn't it? With Ash and Cam both there, it'll be hard to figure out why exactly Reina decided to trouble Cam and Laney. I can't really understand it myself."

_Well, you are lacking the most pivotal information, _Lillian figured. However, their secret relationship seemed far too important for her to divulge even to the person she had just poured her heart out to. When not even the Oracle knew a secret, it was suddenly very much worth preserving. "It'll definitely be weird," she agreed. "I don't know how I'm going to juggle all of them together. I have to make sure they – hey! Don't leave!"

The Oracle spun and looked at Lillian and then hastened to cover her face upon discovering that Mikhail was with her. "I'm sorry, I don't know you!" she called back in her fake voice.

"He already knows you're here."

"Well that spoils a lot of my fun," the Oracle noted, plopping down beside Mikhail. "Does Mikhail know everything worth knowing now?"

"Mostly," Lillian answered thoughtfully, wondering how much information she had shared with Mikhail that the Oracle already had. Likely all of it, she figured.

The Oracle studied Mikhail for a moment and then clapped her hands before his face, causing him to stare at her as though she had gone insane. "We haven't ever properly met before! You can call me the Oracle. I already know your name and lots of things about you, so you don't really have to introduce yourself."

Mikhail looked at her curiously and then smiled. "Well, alright. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," the Oracle replied. "Lillian, you should probably go find Ash. Or Dirk. Either one, really. Just to ensure they don't meet up and cause chaos. I'll walk Mikhail home!"

"I can walk you home, actually," Mikhail answered, looking stunned. "It's really not safe to walk alone at night-"

"I can take care of myself."

"…I'm sure you can."

Lillian dragged her eyes away from the Oracle's almost terrifying grin and walked towards the entrance again. Principal Rutger and Ina had long since departed – the moment the party quieted down from its already mild beginning, they departed with mixed excuses. Lillian suspected they mostly had just given up on attempting to be around each other for the duration of Saturday. She walked carefully through the room, crowded with empty paper cups and a few stragglers bouncing along to the mild music playing, and groaned to herself as she saw that the cold had convinced most partygoers to pull their own hoods up. It was impossible to tell which one was Dirk – his plain black jacket wasn't the most unique.

She was about to give up and walk with the Oracle when she looked across the room and met Ash's eyes. He turned away at first and then turned back towards her with a smile, kicking paper cups aside on his way to her. "You didn't bring a jacket?" he asked, wearing a small smile.

"I'm fine. I'm immune to the cold," she joked half-heartedly.

"What's the matter?" he asked, shrugging his jacket off and draping it around her shoulders despite her protests. Whereas Mikhail would do this for anyone, Lillian suspected that she was the only one receiving this treatment from Ash. That idea comforted her enormously.

"Nothing," she answered quickly. "Did Georgia apologize to you? Laney told me she was heading over here earlier so she could."

Ash's eyes darted away for a moment, and Lillian thought she saw a flash of guilt in them. "She tried to apologize, but Georgia isn't very good at swallowing her pride. Notice you never actually saw her today – she left before the party even started. She's actually not talking to Laney either, right now, so Goddess knows what she's up to."

"Why isn't she talking to Laney?" Lillian gaped, stunned by this revelation. As close as Laney and Cam were, she had to admit that there was an even deeper bond that ran between Laney and Georgia – something akin to sisterhood. They always seemed in tune to each other's thoughts, and their eyes gravitated towards the other in stressful situations. Considering one without the other seemed foreign. Imagining them angry at each other was impossible.

"Who knows?" Ash shrugged. "I didn't talk to her for very long. I only know she's not talking to Laney because Cam told me."

"Oh…of course," Lillian replied. When Ash glanced suspiciously towards her she forced a smile, looking over Ash's shoulder rather than directly at him. To her horror Dirk was standing there with his hood completely off, staring at her in plain sight. When he saw her looking he gestured for her to come over. _Hurry!_ He mouthed. He flipped his hood back up immediately after, but stayed in his position against the wall.

Ash followed her eyes with a frown. "What is it?" he asked.

"Uh…I…think I have to go…" Lillian drifted off, her eyes narrowed in confusion and her mouth slightly ajar. She had never been so utterly confused by the Oracle and Dirk before, and she had a creeping suspicion that she would never again be so confused in her life. _Why _were they there? _Who _let them in? _What _did they want? She shook her head in disbelief, beginning to pull the jacket off.

"Keep it," Ash told her, catching the strings and tying them in a bow to prevent her from taking it off. "You'll get cold. Are your parents here to pick you up?"

"I…think my friend is walking me…maybe…"

Ash looked troubled for a moment, but nodded. "Alright. Well, I'll be here for a while longer. Cam and I are going to clean up and then I'm staying at his place tonight. So, if anything happens, come back here and we'll walk you home, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, unable to meet his eyes. Was he _ever _apart from Cam now? She had never imagined she'd feel so jealous of _Cam _of all people.

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Did Cam tell you?"

"Yeah, you'll be at the girls' thing," she replied, looking fixedly at her shoes. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. Sorry I can't stay to help clean up."

"Forget about it," he told her. He lifted his hand and she lifted her eyes to his, but he dropped it back to his side and moved over for her to walk past. "Be careful."

"…Right," she answered. "Bye."

The walk towards the door felt unbearably depressing. Just a week before Ash would have insisted on walking her home – he would have insisted on staying by her side during the entire day. Instead she had spent the whole party chatting with Mikhail about her problems while he probably spent it with Cam. She _knew _they were best friends. That was perfectly alright with her. But the sudden shift from spending all his time with her to all his time _away_ from her…she brushed past Dirk and out the main doors, and he spun and followed her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning. "Did he…say something to you?"

"No, he didn't say anything."

Dirk's eyebrows narrowed as she continued walking, heading towards the sidewalk. The Oracle and Mikhail were already long gone – she hoped the Oracle wasn't troubling him too much now that she knew how much information he had. Then again, it was _the Oracle_. She was probably prying every last detail of gossip he could possibly know from him as she thought. Her feet touched the concrete pathway and Dirk moved in front of her, blocking her way. "Seriously," he told her, holding his hands out as though he were about to wrap his arms around her to stop her from sidestepping him. "What's the matter?"

It appeared that she couldn't brush him aside as easily as she usually did now. She tugged his hood off, annoyed at looking at his shadowed face that only added to the ridiculousness his sunglasses provided in the dark, and told him, "I just feel like Ash doesn't want to spend any time with me lately. He's constantly…never mind. It sounds stupid."

"It's not going to sound stupid to me."

Lillian felt a rise of embarrassment at his words. She was sure that she would have blushed at any other occasion. Dirk had a way of saying things she would struggle infinitely with as though they were perfectly normal. "He's just spending a lot of time with Cam lately," she mumbled. "And he used to spend a lot of time with me, but now…he's just completely inseparable with Cam. I guess I just got used to spending a lot of time with him and now…I don't think he wants to spend time with me anymore."

Dirk watched her for a moment, looking as though he was struggling very much with something, before sighing and turning away. "Whatever is going on with him doesn't mean he likes you any less," he finally said. "Ash is practically in love with you. He's not going to suddenly start feeling that way."

"Dirk," Lillian instantly said. She found herself saying his name more than anything else when she was with him – as though she had to constantly rein him in. "He doesn't-"

"He cares about you a lot. Better?" It was with a flare of frustration that he snapped these words before wincing at his own behavior. "Sorry. Really, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act like that. Ash cares about you too much to suddenly just…stop. Give him time to take care of whatever is going on with him. He's probably just got something on his mind."

Lillian gaped at him. "You're right! I've been so caught up in all of this I haven't bothered to ask Ash if something is-"

"Forget about it for tonight," Dirk told her, catching her hand and towing her forward. "I'm walking you home and he's staying the night at Cam's."

"How did you know that?"

"Intuition."

Lillian reluctantly smiled as he grinned back at her, not letting go and continuing to pull her forward. "Why are you walking me home tonight? What did you call me over for?"

"Hmm…I didn't have a particular reason, honestly."

She rolled her eyes, the amusement gone as she pulled her hand free. "Do you always act without thinking?"

"I wouldn't say always. That's a hasty generalization, Lillian."

She laughed though she didn't want to give him any reassurance that he was doing the right thing. Dirk's motives were both hard and easy to decipher. On one hand, Lillian was not naïve enough to miss many of his intentions – she was merely very skilled at feigning ignorance, which he was also fully aware of. On the other, he liked to pretend those intentions covered all actions when she knew perfectly well they didn't. Whatever Dirk wanted from her, he had a million other reasons for every interaction he set up between the two of them besides just what he wanted.

Her house was only several blocks away, and he led her in silence. "You still remember the way?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah. You moved right back into the same house you left four years ago. It really is just like nothing ever changed – except for, of course, all the things that have changed."

"Like you. You changed a lot."

Dirk stopped, glancing back at her for a brief moment before continuing on. "Yeah. I changed a lot. You changed too, you know. I say it's like nothing has changed, but you're really different from how you used to be."

"Not quite so much as you."

"True. But you're not as naïve as you were when you were a child. And you clearly don't keep to yourself as much. Now you're constantly trying to help other people."

"I want to make sure I can continue to spend time with them all," she admitted, her voice almost inaudible as she trailed behind him. "Ash, Cam, Laney, Georgia, the Oracle, Hiro…you too. I want to spend time with all of you, so I want to help take care of all of your problems the best I can. When I left last time…I completely missed your problems. I came back and you and Ash hated each other. I didn't do anything to fix it at the time, even though I knew something weird was going on. So now…I'm going to make sure none of my friends change that much. I want to help them as much as I can, so I don't have to look back and feel like I didn't do anything."

Dirk stopped again, though this time he did not immediately continue on. "It's not your fault," he told her softly. "We didn't want you to get involved in it. It would only hurt you. We were your best friends. You meant a lot to us. We agreed we wouldn't tell you."

"You agreed you wouldn't tell me…what?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Dirk answered. He avoided her eyes as he spoke, staring at a piece of crumpled paper that had followed them along the road for half a block now, catching in the wind and breezing past them as they stood solitary on the sidewalk. "We just agreed we wouldn't tell you that we weren't friends anymore so you wouldn't be troubled. Don't blame yourself for not doing anything. Goddess, you get too involved with all of this – how many times do I have to tell you to worry about yourself some more?"

He flicked her in the forehead for the first time in a while, and she cried out in indignation, which only made him laugh. "Now come on and let's stop complaining. You need to get home. You have quite a day ahead of you."

Lillian groaned and he laughed, walking backwards so he could watch her as they went.

* * *

The Oracle met her halfway to Laney's the next day, bouncing on the heels of her shoes as she stood waiting next to a flock of birds that didn't seem the slightest bit frightened of her. They tore into the sky as Lillian neared, and both girls turned to watch them go. "Did you end up finding Ash last night?" the Oracle asked, her hand cupped over her eyes to watch the birds as they became dotted specks in the sky.

"Yeah, but we only talked for a little bit," Lillian admitted.

The Oracle glanced sideways at her and then said, "I overheard a bit of what you said to Mikhail. Only a little bit, though. About how Ash's behavior has been worrying you lately. I don't think you need to worry."

"It's alright," Lillian replied, not wholly believing that the Oracle had only heard a snippet of her conversation. "I just need to reach out to him and see if I can help him with whatever has been bothering him. I've been so fixated on everything else that I didn't bother asking Ash if something was on _his _mind – even though he's always made sure to check on me. Dirk already told me not to worry too much, anyways."

She regretted the words immediately after, feeling like the Oracle might think she was flaunting her friendship with Dirk in her face. However, the Oracle merely smiled and said, "I'm glad he did. You already know what I think of you and Ash. I don't think there's any reason to be worried. Things are going to work out in time, alright? For today, let's not worry about Ash. Let's worry only about what we know…and making sure we use what we know to trap Reina."

Lillian raised an eyebrow at the ominous gleam in the Oracle's eyes. "Did you, uh, find something out?" she asked hesitantly.

"No, no," the Oracle answered instantly. "Nothing…nothing at all…let's hurry! We'd better get there as soon as possible."

Lillian prepared to ask something else, but the Oracle began to run, laughing as she went. "Hurry!" she shouted. "Last one there has to…sit between Reina and Laney!" She giggled as Lillian protested and continued her run, and after a moment's hesitation Lillian laughed and surged after her, both girls streaming down the street.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later Cam and Ash opened the door to see both girls crouched over, panting, hands on their knees. "Did something happen?" Cam asked worriedly.

"No, I just decided I wanted us to go out for a run!" the Oracle answered. Lillian heaved an especially heavy and annoyed breath – the Oracle's 'run' was an understatement. Had she taken part in the obstacle race several weeks back there was no way Bluebell would have won. Her speed was incredible, and Lillian had felt much like a fool struggling the entire time to catch up to her.

"Oh, good, you're here," a voice called from the entrance. Its owner came to stand between Cam and Ash, who exchanged a look, and smiled at the two of them.

Lillian gaped at Dirk, and he winked at her. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. "You never told me-"

"Oh, right…I was going to tell you Friday after the club competition, but you ran off and I never got a chance," the Oracle answered with a shrug, taking a glass of water that Laney had rushed over with for each of them. Lillian took hers with a gracious thank you to the blonde and a dark look towards the Oracle.

"This is supposed to be a _girl's _thing though…"

"You didn't seem bothered that Ash was coming," Dirk answered. "That's favoritism."

Lillian narrowed her eyes at him and prepared to say something, but the Oracle forced her to take a drink, and she sputtered nonsense as she attempted to swallow the sudden stream. She couldn't stand to meet Ash's eyes, though they were fixed on her, and finally settled with, "Alright…where's Nori, Reina and Georgia?" when she had swallowed.

"Nori and Reina are on their way," Laney answered cheerfully, gently pushing the boys aside to welcome Lillian in. "As for Georgia, she's…not coming today."

"…Oh," Lillian answered, frowning. "I see."

"Let's all move to the kitchen and start getting things ready then!" the Oracle announced. "Which dessert are you and Nori going to teach us how to make, Laney?"

Laney looked considerably troubled – likely from not only the fact that she had a slew of odd visitors arriving in her house in varying strange ways, not to mention having to put up with Ash, Cam and Dirk alone, but because of her lingering issue with Georgia. _What is going on with that girl? _Lillian wondered as she followed Laney into the kitchen she had already seen several times since moving back to town. It was as spotless as ever, and Howard was standing at the sink, whistling as he washed dishes. "I heard you all wanted to learn how to make the fruit shiratamas we made," Laney murmured, glancing at Cam, who offered a tender smile. "Is that alright?"

"That's great," Lillian and the Oracle answered together, exchanging a quick look. It seemed the Oracle was also well aware of the feelings of others. They made a silent pact to do their best to prevent Laney from suffering from the situation forced upon her – though it had been one of their doing that had left her so depressed.

The Oracle offered to help Laney wash fruit, and the two chatted amiably enough at the sink on each side of Howard, who cooed over how lovely it was to have so many of Laney's friends over at once. Dirk stood close to Lillian, but when he turned to say something to her Ash moved in between them, resting against the counter and facing her. "You got home alright then?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied with a smile, relieved to see that he was talking to her so normally, though she couldn't help but feel guilty for Dirk, who stuck out terribly and had probably suffered quite a bit of discomfort in a room with Bluebell officers as he waited for them. "Did you have a good time staying the night here?"

"Yeah," he replied in kind. "I…was a little worried about you. But I'm glad you made it home safe."

"Why wouldn't I?" she asked with a smile. "Like I said, my friend walked with me. You don't have to worry."

Cam was drying dishes for Howard, and suddenly called out, "Ash, can you help me?" An ever growing pile was building before him now that the fruit had been rinsed and the girls were adding all of their manpower to Howard's task.

Ash hesitated and then nodded, offering one last smile to Lillian as he joined his friend's side. Dirk slid over to stand beside her and said, "So, you consider me your friend?"

"I feel like I answered this before."

"Maybe you did," Dirk replied thoughtfully. "But you were probably playing dumb about it."

Lillian shot him a disdainful look, though in truth she merely felt humiliated to have him say the words directly to her. He would have been an idiot to think she was truly as ignorant of his feelings as she acted, but she still wished he would at the very least go along with her charade. She considered any remark that would bring an end to the conversation, but was pulled short by the doorbell ringing. "I'll answer it," she declared, sidestepping Dirk and heading towards the door.

"Hello!" Nori told her cheerfully, holding a plate of cookies before her. Reina stood a few feet back, squinting to see Lillian behind the screen door and not looking particularly pleased. "Sorry we're late, I just wanted to make something for everyone so we could have something to snack on. I know sometimes the first time people try dishes it doesn't always turn out so well, so I wanted to make sure we had something to eat while we worked."

"That's sweet," Lillian answered, opening the door wide for them. "Thank you for bringing them! Everyone is in the kitchen cleaning up real quick."

Nori smiled and thanked her, heading towards the kitchen without needing to be told where it was, but Reina lingered at Lillian's side. "What exactly are you planning?" she asked when her friend was out of earshot. "I didn't want to turn the Oracle down when she planned this, but if you're just trying to hurt me…"

"I wouldn't do anything like that to you, Reina," Lillian replied, shaking her head quickly. "I don't want to make you feel bad at all. I didn't come up with this idea, but I think we should just have fun. Just because we're in opposite clubs doesn't mean we have to be angry at each other, right?"

"No. But there are other reasons, Lillian." With that Reina breezed past her, not offering another look her way. Lillian quietly closed the door and turned to see Dirk and Ash standing together, watching her. She forced a smile for them both and joined them in the kitchen.

Laney and Nori fell together as though not a moment had passed since they had stopped being friends – they laughed as they taught the Oracle how to cut some of the fruit, gently reprimanding her mistakes and guiding her in the correct direction. Ash set his hand on the small of Lillian's back, pushing her towards them. She nodded to him and stood next to the Oracle, though her nerves were shaken. She hated to think that she was making Reina uncomfortable already. Cam was standing between Ash and Dirk now, looking extremely awkward. Laney and Reina were separated by a counter, and though Laney was caught up in her reborn friendship, Reina was clearly out of place.

"Here," Lillian told her, holding out an apple. "Let's try too."

Reina stared at her for a moment, clearly sizing her up, before she took the apple and reached for the drawer in front of her, opening it and pulling out a freshly cleaned knife. It seemed she too was very familiar with the house, though Lillian was sure it was due to Cam this time. The tension was excruciatingly thick in the kitchen, and Lillian felt sure that the next few hours would be miserable.

* * *

"It's not too bad," Nori told Cam gently.

"It's pretty obvious why I lost to you in the cooking competition," he mumbled in return, looking very disappointed at the lopsided, ugly fruit shiratama before him. Lillian and the Oracle had taken well to cooking, as had Dirk, but Ash and Cam were continuing to fail. Lillian wasn't sure at what point the boys had decided to try their hand at the cooking that had initially been dubbed Konohana and Bluebell _Girls_' Lesson, but she wished they hadn't for Ash's sake. His fruit shiratama looked even worse. Dirk shoved his towards them and said, "You two can have mine. I'm not really hungry."

Cam genuinely thanked him, but it took Ash a little more effort, though he was smiling to himself as he and Cam both tried it. Lillian was holding a fork with a chunk of fruit on the end, and after glancing at Dirk sighed and held it out to him. "You can have some of mine," she mumbled, feeling embarrassed as she anticipated his reaction.

Rather than use the opportunity to tease her, however, he leaned closer and acted as though she had been offering to feed him. "Thanks," he answered with only a slightly smug smile. Lillian looked away before she had time to blush, watching Howard as he rewashed the dishes they had dirtied and eavesdropped on their conversation rather than look at Dirk watching her.

"You did well, Reina," the Oracle announced. "It's almost as good as Laney's, and it's only your first try!"

Lillian gritted her teeth together in frustration. She wanted to tell the Oracle to pull back, but hadn't it been _her_ bright idea in the first place to attempt to gauge Reina's feelings? As the plan played out before her – though _this _plan hadn't been what she had in mind – she realized her fault. Reina was too clever to reveal any weakness, _ever_. She thanked the girl and instantly changed the subject to, "Where's Georgia?"

Laney's eyes fell to the counter, and Cam said, "She's busy today."

"Oh."

Laney and Cam exchanged a look, and Lillian wondered what was playing through the blonde's mind. Did she ever get jealous of Reina and Cam's past friendship? Lillian grumbled to herself as she stabbed her fork into another chunk of fruit. She had no right to wonder about that – she was the one envious just of Ash choosing to walk his best friend home rather than her. Then again, she thought _she _was his best friend. She sighed and nibbled her fruit, wondering at what point she would be able to know what was going on with everyone.

"Don't look so down. This is supposed to be a fun day!" the Oracle announced, jabbing her fork towards Lillian in a manner that made her jump back and into Dirk.

"Don't stab her," Dirk retorted, catching her elbows and sturdying her. "That's going to put a damper on this fun day."

The Oracle stuck her tongue out teasingly and apologized. "It was an accident! I wasn't going to _stab_ her."

"Say what you will," Dirk answered.

His smug tone had a way of grating on people's nerves, and Lillian wasn't surprised when the Oracle wrinkled up her nose at him and said, "You wouldn't be so mean if_ I_ was almost stabbed!"

"I assure you I would be extremely devastated if someone almost stabbed you."

"You have a bad attitude!" the Oracle told him, prodding his shoulder with her fork.

Laney giggled at this action, attempting to mask it by putting her fingers over her mouth, but laughing freely when she saw that she had caught the Oracle's attention. "You two are pretty close," she explained. "It's nice watching you two get along."

"We don't get along nearly as well as you and Cam," Dirk pointed out. "You two are so nice to each other. She's poking me with a fork. That's not so nice."

The Oracle glared at him and said, "Well, I don't have to be as nice to you, you're not my boyfriend!"

Lillian looked at her in horror, and Laney's cheeks heated up instantly. Reina's eyes turned towards Lillian with an intense heat, and Ash looked questioningly at Cam. "Excuse me?" Howard asked, turning around, his eyes turning from gleeful to menacing as he looked at Cam. Lillian remembered what Laney had told her about Howard – how protective he was, and how he would likely kick Cam out of their house if he ever found out they were dating. She jammed her elbow into the Oracle's side, shooting her a pointed look.

"I didn't mean that!" the Oracle blurted out. "I was only teasing, because they're so close-"

"It's not true!" Laney cried out.

Cam seemed completely unable to talk before Howard's glare. "I need to talk to you, right now," Howard told the couple, his voice low as he gestured towards his daughter and her not so secret boyfriend, who followed him with terrified looks towards each other.

Lillian yelped as a hand seized hers, yanking her backwards with an incredible amount of force. Reina did not attempt to be the slightest bit gentle as she dragged her out the front door and into the front yard. Lillian attempted to launch into an explanation, but her words were futile. Reina spun on her and shouted, looking inches away from completely bursting. "How could you tell someone?! I told you it was a secret! Do you know what's going to happen? Cam might have to be shipped back to his parents in the _city _because of what you did!"

"I didn't-"

"I can't believe you! I thought you could be trusted. How _stupid_! How could you do this to them? They're your friends! Do you know what Laney did for you? When you first moved back here and Georgia said that she wasn't going to let you get close to Ash and take her place, Laney told her that she wouldn't let her, and that she wouldn't be able to be friends with her if she hurt you. She barely knew you, and she _still _stood up for you! And you repay her by doing this?!"

"What?" Lillian gasped. Georgia…had feelings for Ash? She stared at Reina in shock, and the girl looked like she was about to scream some more when Dirk moved in before Lillian, hands outstretched. "Stop!" he snapped at Reina. "She didn't tell the Oracle. _I _did. And Lillian never told me. It's not her fault, so if you want to yell at someone, yell at me."

Reina slapped him across the face, so strong he stumbled backwards. Lillian caught him, her eyes wide. "I hate you both," she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes. "If Cam has to leave this town because of you, I'll never forgive you."

"Reina!" Nori cried out, rushing out the front door. "What's the matter, why are you – Reina!"

Nori looked at Lillian, who was too stunned to do anything more than hold onto Dirk's hand, and then began to run after her friend, who had fled down the street to prevent anyone from seeing her cry. She called her name out as she went, and Dirk and Lillian watched them go in silence.

"How…did you…find out?" Lillian asked, her voice low and horrified still.

For the first time, Dirk was unable to face Lillian. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I…I don't know if I should tell you or not…"

"Please tell me," she murmured. "I…is this…is it really not my fault?"

"No, it's not," he told her, catching her and pulling her into a hug. "It's not your fault. Sometime last week…Ash found that photograph Reina took of you and Hiro. He saw me and you talking, and he saw you put it away, so he knew something was bothering you that you weren't telling him about, so he went to the Oracle first for help. I have no clue what deal they made, but she's been spying on Laney and Cam for him – this whole thing was set up because he asked, not because she was trying to help you. On Friday, when you asked me to do something, I broke up their fight and pulled Ash aside. I told him that I was doing it because you had asked me to. He made a deal with me to help him too. When I filled him in on everything you and I had talked about that the Oracle hadn't been able to pass onto him, we concluded that the Oracle was right – it had to do with Laney and Cam. He had already been glued to Cam's side because of the Oracle's suggestion, but he agreed to spend all of his time with him. He asked me to go talk to you so he could walk home with him that day, for instance, but he knew you might be having trouble with the club and wanted you to have someone to help you. I didn't know he was working with the Oracle yet. He invited both of us to the party yesterday, and that was when I found out – I saw Laney and Cam taking a break outside by themselves. Cam was saying that he wanted to tell Ash they were dating, but she said she didn't want anyone to know because it might slip out – like it just did – to Howard at some point if anyone else knew. When you told me the Oracle was there, I made sure to call her after I walked you home, and I found out that he had been working with her and I filled her in on everything. She…she really didn't mean to let it slip, Lillian."

He squeezed her tight to him, but Lillian was too stunned to lift her arms around him. She stood stock still in his arms, silent for several long moments. "Why did he do all this?" she asked. "It wasn't a big deal…why didn't you tell him it wasn't bothering me?"

"Because it had something to do with you, and that meant it was important to him," Dirk answered, his voice tight. "I couldn't have convinced him to stop trying to figure it out. He said because Reina had hurt you in her efforts, he wanted to figure out what her motive was and stop her from doing anything like what she did again in the future. Lillian, I…I'm really sorry I didn't tell you. I know it was bothering you that you thought he didn't want to hang out with you, but I…he begged me not to tell you and…I…"

It was sight to behold – Dirk completely speechless. Had Lillian not been utterly terrified at the prospect of Cam being forced out of his home of the past twelve years, she would have made a point about it. Everything she had learned resonated in her however – the fact that Ash had been working with the Oracle and Dirk, the fact that Reina hated her now, the fact that Laney and Cam were in serious trouble…and what Reina had said about Georgia... She buried her face in Dirk's shirt rather than look at his miserable face any longer.

"I didn't want to cause any trouble for Laney and Cam," she whispered. "That's why I didn't tell you about them."

"I know. I didn't…I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt them either. I didn't think that this would happen. I…I'm really sorry. I'm so sorry."

Lillian's shoulders shook as tears slipped from her eyes. _I have no right to cry_, she told herself. Not when it was Laney and Cam and Reina and the Oracle who were facing such horrifying feelings of fear, sadness, and guilt. But she cried anyways. She cried because her goal had been to protect her friends, and yet when it had come down to it, she had only worried them and hadn't been able to stop them from getting hurt. No matter how much work she put into the entire situation…she had failed.


	21. Dismissal

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: This is a shorter chapter, but considering everything that was established last chapter, I figured a chapter that focused a bit on some of the resolution of pressing issues would be more important than making things more confusing at this point. :P Thanks everyone for your reviews. They're all so nice, I can't wait to reply to everyone once this is over. Last chapter's comments were just especially encouraging. (: And I'm on time with this update! Hahaha. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I'll have the next up soon. (:_

* * *

"And that's what happened?"

"Yeah. That's what happened."

Mikhail nodded to himself for a moment and then murmured, "I had no idea that Cam and Laney were dating. I've been close with them for much of my high school life, and still…to have no idea at all…not even the slightest thought…of course I believed they had feelings for each other, but to keep a relationship secret for so long…has Howard said what he's going to do with him yet?"

"No. He stayed at Ash's house last night and he's rooming there indefinitely for now. So…it looks like Ash and Cam are still going to be together a lot even though now I know what's going on. I've been trying to think of some way to convince Howard to let him stay there but…I don't know. I don't know why he's so protective of Laney, but he's _really _protective of her. He doesn't want to think that her boyfriend is in the room across the hall from her all the time, and that makes sense, but…it's Cam's senior year…"

Lillian sighed, tapping her feet against the concrete landing at the end of the five steps leading to the school's entrance. Ash had another reason not to walk her to school in the morning, and she didn't want Mikhail to be completely unaware of the events that had occurred on Sunday. Of course, she had considered contacting Georgia for the same reason as well, but…thinking that Georgia had feelings for Ash, that she had at one point considered hurting Lillian's bond with him…it stung. She felt a bitter resentment towards Georgia that extended far beyond simple anger that she would try to hurt her. It was unnecessary jealousy, and she hated the way it grew in her chest. She did her best to pretend it wasn't there, but knew she could only do that if she wasn't around.

Beside her, Mikhail decided to change the subject in an attempt to wipe the miserable expression from her face. "Have you gotten a chance to talk to Ash about all this yet?" he asked.

"No. Dirk walked me home immediately after. The Oracle left out the back door. Ash stayed behind to be with Cam, and he's been helping Cam and probably getting all of the story from him since. Dirk said he was going to call him after he dropped me off so he could know that he had told me…I don't know how he's going to react. I don't know what he's thinking. I have no idea at all."

Mikhail's eyes widened as Lillian covered her face, looking on the verge of tears. "What is it?" he asked, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Stupid things," she murmured. She was not crying, but was struggling to maintain her typical cheerful expression. "I've never gone so long without _really _talking to Ash, and it's just…harder than I thought it would be. I'm used to him always being with me and me being able to tell him everything that's going on…I don't blame him at this point at all, I know his friend needs him. It's just tougher than I expected."

"That's understandable," Mikhail told her gently, rubbing her back. "You don't have to consider that stupid. It makes perfect sense."

"Yeah...thanks, Mikhail." Lillian smiled at him and forced herself to her feet as the bell rang. She was reluctant to touch on the topic of Ash anymore before she said something that could be used against her. Knowing the Oracle had heard their conversation once before was enough of a warning to convince her to not give her that chance again. "We'd better get to class then. I've got homeroom with Laney and Cam. It's going to be interesting."

Mikhail touched her shoulder once more in a friendly, reassuring manner, and swept up his violin case. "The first day will probably be awkward."

* * *

Cam and Laney sat on either side of Lillian, both staring off in the opposite direction. She had chosen her usual seat, thinking that Laney would sit beside her and Cam would sit on the other side of Laney, but had been surprised when the boy walked in alone and sat between her and window, leaving no room for Laney. When Laney walked in, she had pretended not to notice this and dropped her things off beside Lillian, twirling a lock of golden hair that had fallen from her bun around and around and around until Lillian felt dizzy.

"Oh," Cam blurted out, turning towards her. "Ash said to tell you he was sorry he couldn't walk you to school today, and he wants to meet up with you at lunch by the fountain."

"Okay. Thank you."

They looked at each other for a very long time and then looked away. Lillian had considered many things she could tell Cam, and she _wanted _to comfort Cam, who was such a gentle and kind person, but she found herself completely unable to. No words that came to her head sounded intelligent enough to be voiced. She looked to Laney, who was opening and closing her tin of mints so fast her fingers were oftentimes a blur. _The first day will probably be awkward_. She had expected that.

But she had expected Laney and Cam to become a united front, protecting each other from the awkwardness, and not divided by it.

* * *

Lillian found herself instantly alone at break, with Laney dashing off the second it began and Mikhail hesitating guiltily to leave her and meet Principal Rutger. She had given him the go ahead and he had finally departed, but roaming the halls felt immensely lonely when she thought of the fun times she had spent with so many during break. On any other day she and Laney would be laughing and eating mints in the hallways. When had those times moved from being uncomfortable to lively and enjoyable? When had she gotten the stupid idea in her head that she could make things better for Laney by interfering in her life? She should have thrown away the photograph and forgotten all about it, but she didn't. Why?

She stopped next to her locker, letting her head gently crash against it. She hadn't done it because she was curious, always curious, about the people she was four years behind in knowing. She had become someone so different in her quest – she had become someone capable of manipulating others, as cunning as Dirk and the Oracle, as calculated as Reina at times. She remembered the break she had spent attempting to con information out of Laney about her relationship with Cam. Why had she done that? Everything she had spent her past weeks doing suddenly seemed stupid and pointless, and she wanted to turn back time and make it all go away.

"Hey! Psst! Come here!"

Lillian frowned and turned to see a flash of red duck into a classroom doorway. She knew the voice, and she knew those crimson locks anywhere, but found herself intensely reluctant to obey them. After all – this was the person she had to break the news to _today _about needing to either step down or step back.

"What is it?" she asked Georgia, her voice unkind.

The Bluebell sergeant at arms was not hindered in the slightest by this. She closed the door behind the brunette and said, "What's going on with everyone? Why are they all acting so weird? I saw Laney run into the bathroom at break, but isn't that when she usually hangs out with you? And Cam was sitting with Ash out front even though Ash's second block is across the school and he and I usually hang out at break…"

Lillian hadn't been aware of that. She swallowed hard, struggling to force down the cruel bitterness she felt. Why would she be angry at Georgia for something that had happened so long ago? Why punish her for that? But then again, she had done something not too long ago that was pretty terrible too. "I'll tell you what's going on with them if you tell me what's going on with _you_," she snapped before she could stop herself.

Georgia's eyes widened, and then she laughed. "You hang out too much with everyone in Konohana. You act stuck up like them too."

The insult slid down Lillian's throat, scratching as it went. She forced it down so no more could come up to be flung at Georgia. She would only regret them. She stood her ground the best she could, with her fingers clenched at her sides and a tight frown on her lips. Georgia looked at her and then sighed. "You're not going to give this up, are you?"

"No."

Georgia turned around, sitting down on a desk. "Did you guys find out Laney's secret too?"

"Did we…what?" Lillian asked, stunned. "You…you knew?"

"Yeah. I was worried that was why you were all treating her weird. I try really hard not to be angry at her…I mean, it's not her fault…"

"What?" Lillian repeated, frowning. "Of course it's not her fault, it's nothing to be at fault for!"

"You know how I feel about the situation," Georgia sighed. "To me…it's a big deal."

"Are we…talking about the same thing here?"

Georgia spun around on the desk, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "We're talking about my best friend being the Bluebell buzzer, aren't we?"

"How did you know _that_?" Lillian gaped. "Nobody knows that!"

"Then how do _you _know that?! Did she tell you? She didn't even tell _me_!"

"No, no!" Lillian shook her head frantically when she caught the annoyed expression on Georgia's face. "I realized it recently because she told me she was going somewhere with Cam and he said she actually had private meetings with Principal Rutger. But…what does that have to do with why you've been acting the way you have lately? On Friday you were-"

"I know," Georgia interrupted. Her hands were in fists at her side, her head bowed slightly forward. "I already know how terrible I was, alright!? I know! I yelled at Ash when he did nothing to deserve it. When I tried to apologize to him, all I did was rat out Laney and blame it all on her. But it's more than just that…it's…ugh…listen to me for a minute, and don't interrupt me with stupid questions, alright?"

Lillian nodded obediently, though these words stung too. She decided to forgive Georgia for them, because it was her who was cornering the redhead and demanding information in the first place.

Georgia was quiet for a moment, but looked at the clock and knew that she needed to speed things up. "I tell Laney everything, alright? Everything. And sometimes she gets mad at me for it and sometimes she doesn't but I still tell her everything – all the things most people would keep to themselves, I tell her. I trust her with my life. So I didn't hesitate to tell her that I…I'm the reason Konohana won that competition. Because _I _set up something to trip that girl because this competition meant a lot to Kana. He told me that he…he told me threw it for me and that he knew I would hate him for it and he hated himself for it. I didn't want there to be some sort of…thing between us where I owed him. I thought she would just stumble and give the other person the win. I didn't think she would _trip_ and fall. I never…I wouldn't have hurt her. Believe me."

"I know," Lillian murmured, her eyes wide. She thought of the girl who had been yelled at by Georgia for tripping – how could Georgia yell at someone when she had been the one to hurt them? She didn't understand anything the redhead was saying, but she had never seen Georgia so close to tears, and that alleviated her frustrations.

"I didn't know that Laney was the buzzer at the time. I told her as soon as the girl fell, and then she disappeared and when she came back, we had been docked a point. I knew…of course I knew…the moment I looked at her, she looked so apologetic. And I know we deserved to be docked _all _of our points for what I did, but she…only docking one is too generous. Way too generous. I was so…so angry at myself and so angry at her…I know it's not her fault but…but I still hate it! The buzzer ruined my life last year, and now the new buzzer is my best friend?! I can't tell her _anything _without being afraid of who she's going to tell now. Do you know what it feels like when you think you can trust someone unconditionally and then that's just…ripped away? It _hurts_, Lillian! It really hurts! And I took my anger out on…of all people…"

She slammed her hands down on the desk behind her, bowing her head until it rested against the surface. She was shaking. Crying. Lillian remembered what Dirk had said, about how she had gone home crying on Friday too. She approached her only for Georgia to shake her head and murmur, "Don't. I'm a terrible person. I had no right to yell at that girl, at Ash, at Laney…it's my fault for helping _him_ in the first place. It's my fault. I know that."

Lillian put a hand on the girl's head, the way Ash always did to her. It comforted her, and she hoped Georgia would feel the same way. Beneath her hand the girl tensed and then laughed. "It's not the same when it's coming from you," she whispered.

Lillian retracted her hand, thinking of Reina's words. "Georgia…do you-"

"I don't want to say anything else," Georgia told her, standing up straight and wiping her sleeve across her eyes. It was damp when she pulled away, and her eyes were red. "Tell me what happened on Sunday."

"It's…it's something you need to hear from Laney herself. She's your best friend. She needs you, Georgia."

They stared at each other for a moment, and then jumped when the bell rang. "I'll talk to her at lunch," Georgia mumbled. "I'll…see you at club block."

"Hey-"

"Don't tell anyone," Georgia told her, grabbing her backpack and putting her hand on the doorknob.

"I need to tell you something."

Georgia turned towards her at the sharp tone, frowning. "What is it?"

"…You can't be sergeant at arms anymore."

They stared at each other for what felt like a very long time before Georgia said, "Fine." She opened the door and slammed it behind her, leaving Lillian shut in the room by herself.

"Fine," Lillian whispered. She wanted to get the last word in with Georgia, but she didn't have the courage. That was how it would always be.

* * *

Cam pulled his desk up close to Lillian's in the next block when the teacher announced they needed to get into groups of two. "Is it alright if I work with you?" he asked, his smile only a hint of the usual teasing grin he gave her.

"Of course," she replied, offering a superficial smile as well. The words Georgia had said resonated in her head and rattled around, bouncing off of her other worries and building pressure constantly. She didn't feel Cam accidentally jolt her desk when he sat down next to her, and she didn't hear his apology. She looked at the worksheet he set on her desk and saw nothing.

"Ash said I can stay at his place for a while, but I can't stay forever," Cam murmured, his voice small and surprisingly afraid. Lillian snapped her gaze onto him, eyes wide, surprised he was sharing this with her. "Eventually I'll have to either go back to my parents with the last of my savings or try to get a job and live on my own. I don't think I'll have enough money for anything much…but I can't freeload off of Jessica forever. She has a hard enough time taking care of Ash and Cheryl. It would be cruel to ask for anymore."

"There's…no way Howard will…?"

Cam shook his head. "Have you ever heard the story of Laney's parents?"

"…No. I know her mom has been out of her life since we were kids, but I don't know if she's…somewhere or if she's…"

"She's somewhere. She's not dead. Laney's mom abandoned her family when Laney was still little. She had been the breadwinner of the family, so Howard went through hell making sure he had enough money to take care of both of them. He was still struggling when my parents met him and offered to pay him to let me stay with him. My asthma was unbearable in the city, but I did fine here. So…for almost as long as I can remember, I've been with him, and I've seen how much he tends to Laney. He doesn't want her to feel left behind and he doesn't want to lose all he has left. I can understand him. Finding out the boy you let stay in your house out of the goodness of your heart has been dating your whole world behind your back…I see Howard as a, a stepfather, or something. I respect him. So…I don't think he'll let me stay with him again, and I don't blame him. I broke his trust."

Lillian thought of little Laney and wondered how anybody could leave that behind. "Cam, I'm really sorry. I-"

"It's nobody's fault. It was bound to come out sooner or later," Cam mumbled. "It's my own fault for starting a relationship with her in the first place. I don't blame the Oracle for letting it slip. I should never have been with Laney."

"But you love h-"

"Let's get started," Cam interrupted, pulling his pencil out and leaning towards her as he began to mark up their worksheet. Her worried eyes never left his, and for a moment he glanced at her and then he went back to the assignment at hand, his eyes clouded over and his mouth in a firm, straight line.

* * *

Lillian sat on the edge of the fountain, at the level of the cow, and stared dismally over her shoulder at the water. The pressure was good today, with the fountain almost functioning well enough to actually be considered a fountain rather than a bad demonstration of the trickle-down theory. She wasn't sure she could take anymore bad news, and so she was reluctant to meet up with Ash. Cam had vanished after fourth block, and Mikhail had wished her good luck on her time with Ash, as though she was going to face an enemy rather than a friend. Her heart pounded furiously, though she had never had a reason to be so nervous about seeing Ash before, and she couldn't calm herself down. She still had to tell Mikhail that he was the new sergeant at arms. Would Ash be angry at her when he found out that she had gone behind her back and dismissed Georgia? She sighed, staring at the bottom of the fountain, ripe with rusting copper coins. She couldn't have kept Georgia as sergeant at arms after finding out she had purposefully thrown the competition in Konohana's favor, could she? Right?

"Hey."

She turned to face Ash with a small smile, which faltered instantly. Ash looked as miserable as she felt. She didn't blame him – he was likely terrified that his best friend was going to be moved back to the city. "Hey," she murmured.

Ash leaned forward and sighed. He launched into his explanation instantaneously, as though he had been rehearsing the words on his way to her. "Dirk promised me he wouldn't tell you. I wanted to be the one who told you everything. I wanted to fix everything for you, but it looked like Dirk beat me to it…again. I should never have made a deal with him, but…I couldn't help it."

"Why did you?" Lillian asked hesitantly.

"I made a deal with the Oracle first, and it had to do with him. I'll tell you what it's about, but you can't let her know that I told you. Okay?"

Lillian nodded, though she was surprised to hear those words coming from Ash. As calculating and cunning as Dirk was, Ash had never appeared to have a deceitful bone in his body. She wasn't sure what to think of this new facet of his personality, but realized he must have felt the same way to discover she knew so many things all along and never told him.

"The deal was that she would help me get information about what was going on with you…and I would help fix up the friendship between you and Dirk."

"What?" Lillian gaped. "_She _asked for that? But-"

"She's a pretty selfless person. She knew that was what Dirk wanted, so that's what she asked for. I didn't bother questioning her about it. It's her business, anyways, and I don't think I want to get into her business. It's too confusing, anyways."

"Why would you agree to that?" Lillian demanded. "Why didn't you ask me?"

"I asked you constantly if something was wrong. You always denied it."

"I didn't want to tell you about everything! I mean…I didn't even tell Dirk and the Oracle everything! I only got curious because Reina told me that Cam and Laney were dating, so I wanted to figure out if she was trying to sabotage their relationship. I couldn't tell anyone because of that secret and…and _other _people's feelings." Like Hiro's, for instance, and Reina's, of course.

Ash laughed without humor, running a hand down his face. "Don't I feel stupid now. I ruined my friend's life for something stupid."

"Ash, I didn't…I appreciate it…I'm sorry…I'm glad that you tried to help me. Really. I appreciate it, I'm so…I'm really sorry, I didn't-"

He gently pulled her head down onto his shoulder, leaving his arm around her. "I know. I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at myself. I was really worried about you. You never tell anyone when you're in trouble. I hated to think that you were going to Dirk for help about something rather than me _again_. But on Friday, after you left with Mikhail to talk to the club, Dirk separated me from Georgia and took me out back to talk. He told me that he wouldn't let me upset you, and I realized that he really isn't kidding around. Goddess, he never changes. So I offered to make a deal with him too. It was that he would help me…and I would never tell you about why Dirk and I stopped being friends."

Lillian's eyes flashed open, and she twisted her head so she could stare up at Ash while still resting on his shoulder. "He said you two promised long ago!"

"But that was an old promise. It just meant don't tell Lillian while she's gone, it'll make her feel bad. Now that you're back in town and you've had to see him change so much…I wanted to tell you and he knew that. I swore I wouldn't tell you as long as he could help me. But he wasn't supposed to tell you. That was part of the deal. So now I get to tell you why we stopped being friends."

"You…what?!" Lillian gaped, jolting upright and staring at him, her eyes huge. "Really? You're going to tell me?"

"Yeah," he replied, smiling. "But not today. I don't want to be away from Cam too long. Will you help me find him?"

"Yeah…but…"

He stood up and put his hands on her shoulders, staring steadily into her eyes. "Tell me the truth. What's the matter?"

"I…" she looked away, averting her eyes. "I…thought you wanted to spend more time with Cam than me. All this time, that's what I thought. Dirk tried to tell me otherwise, and I should have realized then…I thought you were bored with hanging out with me, and wanted to go back to hanging out with your best friend all the time too. I…I know it's stupid…"

It was only for a brief moment, but the blushes on both of their faces lingered far afterwards. Ash's lips touched her forehead and then pulled back almost instantly. "It's not stupid," he murmured, letting go of her and sliding his hands into his pockets. "That was stupid. Sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay."

He smiled at her quickness, but she didn't see – her cheeks were flushed red and she was looking anywhere but him. "Hey…_you're _my best friend. Cam is a really good friend of mine. He's like a brother to me. But _you're _my very best friend. Alright? So…don't think I'm going to get bored of you so quickly. And next time you feel left out…just tell me. I don't want to do something for you only to find out I've been hurting you all along."

Lillian turned and shot him a nervous smile. "O…okay. I'll tell you."

They walked together towards the cafeteria, looking around for Cam at all times. "Today's club block is going to be really awkward," Ash murmured.

"Uh…yeah…about that…"

* * *

Kana seemed perfectly chipper when Lillian walked in, and because she knew why she did not return his wave. She instead pretended not to see it and asked, "Where's the Oracle?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. Dirk is here, but she's not, apparently. He said she's sick."

Lillian slid into the seat beside Kana, frowning. "That's weird."

"Hey, even she can get sick," Kana pointed out with a shrug. "You okay? Your cheeks are sort of red-"

"I'm fine!"

"Okay, okay," he replied, making a face and turning away. Lillian blushed even more, staring out the window instead. She tried not to think about it too much. To dwell on what had happened between her and Ash would take her away from the mess she needed to clean up. She needed to help the Oracle, she needed to take care of the club issue she had caused, she needed to help Cam find somewhere to stay, she needed to help Cam stay with Laney, and she needed to take care of _everyone else's _issues too. She wouldn't allow herself to feel so happy when everyone else felt so miserable. At least, that's what she told herself as she smiled out the window.

"You look cheerful," Dirk told her, dropping into the seat in front of her. "Did you and Ash have a grand reunion?"

Lillian turned a frown towards him. "Don't ruin it. I have to go back to being depressed too soon anyways."

Dirk smiled, leaning on her desk until she leaned back in her seat. "Worried about club things?"

"...Yeah."

"For reasons beyond the obvious?"

Lillian looked away and shrugged. "Maybe," she mumbled. "Don't say anything too loud though. I don't want Kana to hear."

"Huh? Why not?"

Lillian met Dirk's eyes for a minute, fully considering it. She could confide in him. She could tell him, couldn't she? So much good had been done in telling Mikhail and Ash the truth. Maybe it could be the same with Dirk. But she shook her head rather than nodded and said, "I'm sorry. It's club stuff."

"I see," he murmured, leaning back in his own chair. "Hey…wanna make a deal with me?"

"…Not particularly."

"I'll tell you where the Oracle is if you promise not to treat me any differently once Ash tells you the truth."

Lillian looked at him in surprise and found his eyes were fiercely serious. In fact, she couldn't recall _ever _seeing such a pressing look on Dirk's face. It was only recently he had shown her the more lively, teasing boy he could be, and now _this _expression seemed a stark contrast. "I…I'm not going to treat you differently no matter what," she told him. "Whatever happened is in the past. I'm going to treat you the same as always."

"You're not even getting embarrassed while saying that. It really takes the fun out of it, you know."

"Stop it!"

He smiled when she blushed. "It's a two part deal. Name something you want me to do for you, and I'll name the second thing I want from you."

Lillian hesitated, eyeing him warily. "Uh, well…can you…be nice to Ash for me?"

Dirk groaned. "Why did you have to make it about him?"

"I'll change it if you-"

"No, it's only fair. Mine is about him too."

Lillian's sentence stopped instantly. "What…what is it?"

"I'm not going to say something like, stop talking to him, choose me over him, be my friend, not his. Don't look so worried. That's a deal you'd break instantly," he sighed, rolling his eyes. Lillian sensed a deeper frustration in him at those words, but didn't press him. "The second part of my deal…don't treat Ash differently either."

"…Why would I treat…what did he do?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Let him tell you. Just don't forget, alright?"

He didn't wait for her response, but turned and faced the teacher. It was only a minute later that he called over her shoulder, "Oh, and the Oracle isn't here because she feels like a terrible person. Try calling her later, maybe she'll actually pick up if she sees it's you."

* * *

"Where's Georgia?" Laney asked Ash, pointedly standing away from Cam as the four of them, along with Mikhail, stood in the clubroom, waiting for the other members to arrive.

"She has no reason to show up early anymore," Ash replied. "She's no longer sergeant at arms."

"What?" Laney cried out. "Why? Why not?"

Mikhail looked surprised as well. Ash gestured to him and said, "Mikhail is the new sergeant at arms, as per Lillian's suggestion. I think he's a good choice too. Please do your best in Georgia's place, Mikail."

Cam looked from Ash to Laney to Mikhail with a frown from his seat beside Lillian. Laney shot one flustered look at Ash and left the room, likely marching down to Georgia to find out what had happened from her. Lillian wondered if she would treat Lillian differently when she returned. Cam tapped her shoulder and asked, "What happened?"

"All of the club members were angry on Friday for the way Georgia treated them, and they told me she needed to step down," she mumbled. "So I…did what I thought was best."

Cam looked at her for a moment and then nodded. "I'm on your side then."

Lillian looked up at him, eyes wide. "Really? Why?" She was afraid that he would say it was simply because Laney was on the other side and he was clearly working to avoid her now, but it was the same old gentle smile that he turned to her.

"Because I hope you'll be on my side as well," he replied.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Ash sat down beside Lillian, sighing. "Cam has found someone to move in with, and Laney is not going to be particularly happy about it."

"What? Why not? You'll be able to stay here, right?" Lillian asked hopefully, clinging to Cam's jacket sleeve.

He smiled at her, patting her hands reassuringly. "Yeah. Someone offered me a place to stay here for the rest of senior year, so I can finish high school with you guys."

"That's great! I'm sure Laney will be thrilled. She won't care no matter who it…wait…"

"Yep," Ash told her. "Cam no longer lives across the hall from Laney. He's across the hall from Reina now."

Lillian released Cam's shirt sleeve, leaning back in her chair. "Oh. Laney isn't going to be happy."

"She broke up with me though, so," Cam shrugged. "She doesn't have a say in it."

Lillian gaped at him and then turned to the door, where Laney and Georgia were standing together, eyes hard and angry.

"I hate this clubs thing," Ash muttered. "No time to be surprised, Lillian. Let's go introduce the new sergeant at arms. Ready?"

"No."

He smiled at her, ruffling her hair. "Just follow me. Don't worry."

"…Okay. I won't."

But that was a lie. As Lillian looked from Cam to Laney to Georgia to Ash, she knew she would do nothing but worry. Mikhail stood on the stage and Georgia stood in the crowd in front of him, glaring up at the girl who had kicked her off of the team, and Lillian smiled out at the members who cheered at the news of her dismissal, still not sure if she had done the right thing.


	22. Stepping Down

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: This story has **seventy **reviews - that is incredible! I'm totally amazed haha. Thank you all so much. I hope I continue to write a story that intrigues you all! I can estimate that this story has at least ten more chapters? There's still a lot to handle haha. I want to address one review I got, because it was a guest review I won't get the chance to reply to otherwise and because it was really interesting - first of all, thanks for the extremely nice comments regarding my writing! I appreciate it. (: Secondly, I was asked how I keep track of all the things going on in this story and whether I keep notes. Alright, when I planned this story out I was initially inspired by the anime Chihayafuru - Chihaya is pulled between two childhood friends, one who has stuck by her side and one who has been a bit mia. It's a fantastic anime I would recommend to anyone, based on a manga I'm sure is just as lovely that I need to pick up sometime soon. From there I decided to make an AU for Lillian and these characters, and I decided to include **everyone**! So I came up with the club situation to keep the story in character as much as possible and then I drafted everything about the background of the story - I wrote down every character's motive for joining a particular club, their relationship with the other characters, their history and their future. Then I wrote down all the club positions and Lillian's schedule and decided at what point she would see each person, and then from allll those notes I made a list of key points I wanted to make sure I addressed, though I haven't had to use it in a while haha. I haven't structured this story as much as I have in the past because even though I know the outcome I want, I only wanted the backgrounds fixed - I wanted some freedom to change things around as the time went on. Well, I'm not going to run on too much about that subject hahah, but I hope I answered your question! If anyone has any writing questions, feel free to shoot me a pm because I am always open for that talk and any other talk really haha. (: So anyways, thank you all again for the huge milestone of reviews, it's utterly fantastic, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

In homeroom the next day Lillian and Cam sat in the same seats as the day before, but Laney chose someplace new – in fact, she chose the seat farthest away from them, in the front right corner of the room. She didn't look at them once, and instead spoke solely to another boy in class whom they had never spoken to themselves.

"Why?" Lillian asked, her voice soft and strained with frustration. "Why would she break up with you? It's obvious she likes you, and now that you've moved out…you wouldn't have to hide it anymore!"

"I don't know," Cam murmured, watching her silently as she laughed with the other boy. "She doesn't know I'm going to be staying with Reina yet. She'll be absolutely furious when she finds out. I'm not going to start staying there until this weekend."

"How did that all…happen?" Lillian leaned towards him curiously, a frown on her face. "Did she just…out of the blue invite you to stay with her?"

Cam sighed, looking away. "I know it sounds terrible."

"I…I didn't mean that…"

He smiled over at her, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it. I know you think it's dumb for me to move in with Reina, but I don't have a choice. Jessica barely makes enough to feed Ash and Cheryl. I'm not going to jeopardize their life. I know Howard is never going to let me back in that place after I broke his trust so much. Mikhail lives on his own in a tiny apartment, Georgia wouldn't feel comfortable housing her best friend's ex-boyfriend, and I don't want to force you to choose between me and Laney too much. Reina came to see me at Ash's and asked if everything was going to be alright. I told her I was trying to find a place to stay, and she said I could stay with her and her family. It's not going to be romantic or anything. It's just as friends."

"She…she knows that, right?"

Cam nodded, but his eyes flickered towards the window again. He too, she knew, wasn't sure about that.

* * *

At break Lillian walked Mikhail to the principal's office and then walked aimlessly towards the back of the school, where she found she spent most of her free time now. Once she had not even known where the fountain was, and now she found herself gravitating towards it frequently. The rushing of the water had grown to calm her enormously. She sat at its edge and peered around, always on the lookout for someone she knew, though she was fully aware Ash and Cam were going to spend their breaks together henceforth, as Georgia had abandoned Ash in lieu of being with Laney. Even a crush didn't come between their friendship. Or, more likely, Georgia resented Ash for Lillian's decision as well.

"Hey…you got a minute?"

Kana did not look pleased, and the ferocity in his eyes pushed Lillian to realize he already knew. "Please don't be angry with me," she murmured, her face in her hands.

He stared down at her for a moment and then sighed, sitting next to her. "I should partly thank you. Georgia confided in me for the first time ever, all because of you. Then again, she was mostly yelling at me and blaming me. I…never thought you would kick her off of her position. Why did you? I mean…you're the most forgiving person I know. So why would you do that?"

"Because-"

"Is it because she likes Ash?"

Lillian looked at Kana in shock. "How did you know-"

He interrupted her again, an impatient expression on his face. "Everyone knows. All you have to do is pay attention to her. She believes in Ash more than anybody I know. She trusts him and looks up to him and relies on him more than she does anyone else. I used to think he felt the same way about her, until you came. I was glad that you ruined that, but now…I'm not so sure. I want Georgia to be happy."

"I…that's not why I kicked her off…" Lillian's voice was frail, and she rose to her feet, unable to look at Kana's contemptuous look any longer. "I've got to go…"

He winced at her grimace and said, "I didn't mean that, Lillian, I…look, you're my friend and I want you to be happy, of course – _Lillian_!" he called out as she walked away. She didn't bother turning back, and listened to Kana's friend's teasing him about being "rejected." His words stung with each step. What had the relationship between Georgia and Ash been like before she arrived? Had he really been leaning towards Georgia in such a romantic manner? Did Kana really throw Lillian's own feelings away like that? Her steps quickened until she entered the school, leaning against the wall for a moment before creeping to the window. She watched Ash and Cam laughing far off from the fountain, at a place she hadn't been able to see. At least they looked happy.

"Break is ending soon. You should head to class."

"You should stop sneaking up on me."

"This is where my class is," Dirk told her, making a face as he gestured towards the number twelve etched on the door. "What's wrong? Is it about him?"

They stood at the window together, elbows brushing, and watched Ash and Cam. Lillian could _feel _the last few minutes of break slipping by. Rather than answer Dirk's question she countered with, "Why are you alone at break?"

"You shouldn't ask questions I can ask you too," Dirk answered. "But I'm alone because the Oracle isn't here again and Hiro is with Reina, as per usual. He's been at her side nonstop lately. It's impossible to find him."

Lillian paused for a moment, considering this. She hadn't seen Hiro much at all – not since just after the club competition, and it had been a while before that. Being Reina's friend sounded like a full-time job. Then again, she had been going through a lot lately as well. She turned her mind to thoughts of the Oracle instead, muttering despondently, "I called her yesterday, and she said she'd be back soon. She didn't say much else."

"Knowing her, she's probably putting together some plan right now. Some crazy, ridiculous plan." Dirk sighed and looked at her. "Let's let her handle this one, alright?"

Lillian smiled at him and nodded. "I don't think I need to meddle in anything right now."

He tapped her forehead, which was a welcome gesture compared to his usual flicking. "You don't meddle. You help. Hey…meet me at lunch."

"Why?"

"Please?"

She prepared to turn him down, but stopped when she caught the hopeful expression in his eyes. "What's your motive?" she asked warily.

Dirk sighed once more, making a face. "Must I have one?"

"No…but I think you do."

"Yeah. I do." The bell rang and he grabbed the doorknob of his class, winking. "See you at lunch!"

"But, what – Dirk! Wait!"

He waved and closed the door behind himself, and Lillian folded her arms in annoyance. She glanced back out the window at Ash as he helped Cam to his feet and walked out of sight. She had been looking forward to having lunch with Ash, but now…with everything on her mind, perhaps having lunch with Dirk instead wouldn't be too bad.

* * *

"Hey, Ash wanted me to tell you to meet up with him at lunch," Cam noted halfway through their project during the next block, not bothering to look up as he spoke.

He was so sure that she would agree to this instantaneously. Lillian looked silently at him before saying, "Can you meet up with him and apologize to him for me? I already made plans with somebody else for lunch."

Cam looked up at her in surprise. "Uh…who?"

"Dirk asked me to have lunch with him," she mumbled, avoiding his eyes.

Cam was quiet for a moment, but he had stopped writing. That was how she knew she had his full attention, though she did not want it. She listened to the pencils scratching against the worksheets of everyone around him and then he asked, "Do you like him?"

"What do you mean?" she countered.

"Do you have feelings for Dirk as more than a friend?" Cam defined readily. Perhaps he had expected her to feign ignorance as usual.

She shook her head. "He just asked me at break, and he seemed to have a reason, so I agreed. I didn't know Ash wanted to meet up at lunch. I thought he would be busy like always."

"I get that. I'm just surprised you're not going to change plans even though you're so close to Ash."

Cam's words came out ominous, and she continued to avoid his eyes. She knew what would be in them. "I'm surprised by a lot of the things you've agreed to as well, but they make sense and I don't fault you for them," Lillian mumbled.

"I think these two cases are a little different," Cam retorted, clearly miffed. Lillian didn't blame him. She wasn't sure what had pushed her to be so defensive of her bond with Dirk and of her choice, but her words had been unnecessarily harsh.

"Sorry," she murmured. "You're right. I don't know why-"

"It's fine," Cam interrupted. "You made plans to eat with Dirk, and you're keeping to those plans. I don't know why I'd expect you to do anything differently. You've never been one to break plans before."

Though they had apologized quickly, Lillian felt a lingering frustration with Cam that she couldn't quite put her finger on. He wasn't doing anything purposefully to hurt Laney. He was doing what he had to do to remain in town at Harvest High. And he knew she wasn't doing anything wrong either – it would be cruel to dump her plans with Dirk because Ash had decided to pass a message on that he wanted to spend time with her. Yet both of them had not been as reluctant to move on to new plans with new people, and perhaps that was why they had no more words for the other as they sat silently through the remainder of class.

* * *

Dirk met Lillian at her classroom door, and Cam didn't hesitate to brush past him, though he hadn't seemed to have an issue with him previously. Mikhail was much more polite, lingering to bid farewell to both of them. "He's cool. The Oracle seems to like him too, which is saying something," Dirk said of the violinist as he led her towards the cafeteria. "She said she walked him home."

"He offered to walk her home, but she-"

"She wouldn't let anyone see where she lives. I've never even seen the place," Dirk shrugged. "Are you hungry? I'm starving."

Lillian tried not to look at Laney and Georgia, who were eating together at their usual table. She wondered where Cam and Ash were eating for the day, along with Mikhail. He had confided that he was reluctant to pick a group to spend time with for now, and in being caught in the crossfire had been forced to spend his lunch alone now. Lillian suddenly wished that she had caught him on his way out and invited him to eat with her. "I'm fine," she mumbled. "Can we eat outside?"

"Yeah, of course," Dirk replied, looking over his shoulder at the Bluebell girls before approaching Hiro at the counter of the food court.

"Hey!" he told them, his voice energetic and kind. "I haven't talked to you two much lately. How are you?"

"Been better," Dirk replied.

"Fine," Lillian answered. "How are you doing, Hiro?"

"I'm good," he smiled. "Thanks for-"

One moment he had been looking kindly upon Lillian, and the next his eyes had flickered to the door and become completely cold. "What do you want?" he asked, avoiding their eyes.

Dirk frowned. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing. People are waiting in line."

Lillian looked over her shoulder where Hiro had looked and saw Reina staring at them from the entrance. She turned back and hurriedly replied, "Dirk is the only one eating."

"I'll just have the main dish for today," her companion said, having followed her eyes. "Though I have to say I didn't expect you of all people to let someone else dictate how you would treat other people."

Hiro said nothing in reply, but his eyes clouded over as he rang Dirk's order up and took his money. "Move along and someone will serve you," he muttered.

"Bye," Lillian murmured, following Dirk.

Hiro met her eyes for a moment and quickly looked away, nodding in reply.

"Goddess, how ridiculous," Dirk muttered as they walked out. "Hiro and I have been friends for four years now and he _still_ treats me terribly just because of Reina? This choosing sides deal is getting incredibly annoying. Do you know how much Ash and I went through to make sure people didn't feel like they had to choose sides between us? It's-"

"What did you do?" Lillian asked.

Dirk hesitated, looking surprised. "We just didn't tell anyone anything particularly negative about the other. We formed our own groups of friends and let it fade away. Not that I didn't try to make his life hell for as long as I possibly could…"

"Why did you stop?"

"That's an easy question. You already know the answer." Dirk glanced at her and then looked back at his tray as he sat down, setting it on the grass before him. He leaned back against a tree and she leaned against it with him as well. "You came. You were close with Ash. Messing with him would guarantee you hated me, and I didn't want that."

Lillian fell silent for a moment, watching as he opened his applesauce and pried his spoon from its plastic packaging. He met her eyes and then laughed and said, "You go from asking tons of questions to absolute silence. I'll ask you something instead. How's it going with all of your friends breaking up like this?"

"It's awkward. It's like…beyond just us being club officers and having to work together all the time, we were used to our regular schedule of certain pairs at break and getting together at lunch…"

"The club officers thing is going to be _especially_ awkward. All your friends broken apart from each other…"

_Broken apart from each other…_ Lillian looked up, her eyes wide. _"But please know that it wasn't her intention to make your friends angry at you. It was more of a hope to break your friends apart from each other…but I can't say anymore!" _That was what Hiro had said, and it had happened anyways despite Reina's initial plan not succeeding. This had been her intention with the photograph, and it had_ happened anyways_. Was this another thing Reina had calculated? She thought of the girl's fury, and how she had slapped Dirk. What had happened that made the outcome she wanted different from the outcome she got?

"What is it?" Dirk asked, frowning as she rose to her feet.

"I've got to go! I'm really sorry, I'll meet up with you again soon!"

"Wait – what are you doing?" Dirk demanded as she gathered her things. "Don't do something stupid like, try to fix the friendship out of nowhere, or something-"

"I know!" She put her hand on his head, standing before him as he continued to sit and look up at her in shock. His eyes widened at this gesture, and she smiled gently at him. "Don't worry about me so much. I'm not going to try and fix the friendship…well, not completely. I'm gonna try to find something out first. And I'll let you know if I find out anything important. Bye!"

She dashed off before Dirk got the chance to say anything else, but he stood up and watched her rush off anyways. "I really don't know if I should have stopped her or not," he mumbled, leaning back against the tree. "What a handful."

* * *

"I need to talk to you!"

Reina looked up from her seat beside Nori, her eyebrows raised. "Why would I want to talk to _you_, Lillian?"

"Because! You know what I know that Nori doesn't know, but I'll tell her if you-"

"What has gotten into you?" Reina demanded, her voice like a hiss as she clapped her hand over Lillian's mouth. "Are you really trying to threaten me?"

"Mhm!"

Reina looked at Nori and rolled her eyes. "I'll be right back. This is not going to take long." She dragged Lillian backwards and out the cafeteria, catching the attention of Hiro, Georgia, and Laney, who looked rather alarmed as she went.

When they reached the hallway Reina released Lillian and folded her arms as though holding herself back from reaching out and slapping her too. "What is it? What do you want? Is this about Cam staying at my place? Because that's not entirely my fault, if you recall."

"It's not my fault either!" Lillian protested.

"Like I believe that. Dirk would take the blame for you over anything, it's impossible to know if it really was his fault or not. Just hurry up and say what you want!"

"This is what you wanted when you put that photograph in my locker!" Lillian blurted out instantly, the words gushing as if a dam had been knocked down and its stores released. "You wanted the club officers – my group of friends – to turn against each other, and they did. You wanted it to start out with Cam and Laney, didn't you? That's why you made sure they were the ones to find the photograph first! So why are you so angry when this is what you wanted?"

Reina's eyes widened, and then she laughed – a flat, bored sound. "So you think you finally solved the puzzle, but you're still missing so much information that you came to ruin my lunch for it."

"Don't talk to me like that!" Lillian protested, jabbing her finger towards Reina in a manner that made the girl's eyebrows raise. "You always try to talk like you have everything figured out, but I already know you're in love with Cam, I already know you feel more sympathy for Laney and Hiro than you act like you do, and I know you're upset! Stop hiding how you feel!"

"You don't know a thing about me," Reina argued, rolling her eyes. "What makes you think-"

"When you yelled at me, you didn't yell at me for hurting Cam right away. You yelled at me for hurting _Laney_ initially. So you feel more sympathy for her then you admit. You know Hiro has feelings for you and you feel bad about roping him into this situation because of your feelings for Cam – I can tell, because every time I mention Hiro you just _look _like you feel bad. And I'm pretty sure it's no longer a secret that you like Cam! I already know, so why don't you fill me in on what I'm missing and why you're not satisfied even though your plan worked out?"

Reina stared at her for a long time and then smirked. "You really are smart, aren't you? Nori hasn't even realized the depths of my feelings, and I think Hiro is still torn between wondering if I'm really heartless or not."

"I know you're not heartless. You just don't want to get hurt…right? Because Cam hurt you before."

Reina sighed. "I'm guessing he's the one who told you about that. Nobody else knows all of it, exactly." She looked at the expression on Lillian's face and nodded. "Yeah, it figures. Cam and Laney were close friends, but I...I really thought that was it. Cam used to spend lunches with me, breaks, all kinds of time together after school and before it. We were like…like you and Ash. Best friends, always together. So I think you of all people can understand why I would think that Cam had feelings for me like I had for him. But when I confessed to him, he told me that even though we had spent all that time together…he had been with Laney all along. I felt so led on. I don't have to tell you that hurts, do I?"

Lillian grimaced, feeling a swell of sympathy. "No. I understand. That would hurt a lot." She tried to imagine how it would feel if Ash revealed that he never cared...that all of this was just her…she dashed those thoughts away and tried to focus on the situation at hand, forcing her expression to retain its normalcy.

"Nori and Laney were close, and I knew a lot about Laney. For example, I knew about her mother…her mother who ran out on her just like Nori's dad ran out on her, and I knew that Laney was really close to her father and essentially helped him run the house from a young age. She and Nori are a lot alike. Considering Nori is my best friend, you can imagine that I felt the same amount of sympathy for Laney. She was a good person, even though so many things had happened to her. I didn't want to dislike her…but I did. It's petty and it's embarrassing, but it's hard for me to like her no matter how similar she is to my best friend. She was always the one thing between me and being happy."

Reina leaned against the wall, tilting her head up to look out the overhead windows at the sky. Lillian looked up as well, her eyes filled with pity for the people around her who had suffered such difficult times. The sky was as blue as ever, with clouds slipping and sliding across it. She thought of Reina's bitterness towards Laney, and she thought inexplicably of Georgia - no, not inexplicably. She knew why Georgia came to her mind.

"I really hate myself for putting that photograph in your locker. I wanted to do something that would drive everyone apart and give me a chance to get closer to Cam again. I missed him so much…I missed spending time with him, and I missed being his friend. I thought if everyone was angry, I would be able to become his good friend again. I was finally willing to put aside my heartbreak…just so we could be close. But things were so awkward between Cam and I…I needed something to give me that chance. You saw how it was when I tried to talk to him earlier…he hardly says anything to me, he just looks so uncomfortable. I thought if I could make your friends angry at each other, then I would be able to spend time with him and then help them patch things up."

"So you…thought that an argument would be started about my photograph?" Lillian asked.

"Yeah. I completely underestimated you, though. I thought that since Cam and Ash were so close and you were lying to Ash, Cam would tell his best friend, and since I heard Laney protect you earlier, I thought she would be the one most willing to protect you again. But Cam had grown close to you already, and didn't tell Ash, and Laney's relationship with you and him convinced her to keep it a secret as well though _she _ended up being the tricky one. I wanted Laney to protect you and then Cam, Ash and Georgia – who I thought would side with them because of her crush on Ash and the opportunity it would present her – to form some sort of opposite side. When it didn't happen, I considered giving the photograph to Ash firsthand and causing some sort of split like that, but you interrupted that…so I decided to put it aside. You were all growing closer by the day, and I didn't think I'd be able to interfere anymore. I thought you would all put it aside too. I guess I underestimated you again. You kept trying to find out because you knew I was hurting your friends, and they kept trying to figure it out because they knew I was hurting you."

Reina shook her head and glanced at Lillian before she continued on. "I'm sorry. I didn't want this to happen. I wanted it to fade away at that point. I was prepared to give up on revenge. I didn't think I had left so many loose ties open…I thought by giving you more information, you would put it together and put it aside, but I only opened up a new can of worms. I blame you and Dirk and the Oracle, but it's _my_ fault for setting everything into motion."

Lillian looked at Reina for a minute and then shook her head. "It's not your fault either, Reina. You tried to make amends for your actions."

"If it's not my fault, whose fault is it then?" Reina countered.

Lillian was quiet for a moment as she thought, watching the clouds drift out of view, revealing a patch of blue they had masked earlier. "I don't think it's anyone's fault. I think we all have a part in it though. Meaning…we all have a part in fixing it."

"What could we do to fix it? Cam and Laney are broken up, Cam is going to be staying with me which is going to crush Laney, Ash and Georgia are too close to their friends and they've been reinforced with everyone else that's been happening to stay on their opposite sides…what could we do?"

"We can tell them the truth," Lillian mumbled. "As hard as it would be."

"I'd rather kill myself," Reina snapped. "Tell Cam everything? Tell Laney I'm still into her boyfriend? I'd like to keep this stuff a secret."

Lillian nodded. "I understand. Then…I'll tell them the truth."

"You'll-"

"I won't tell them your secret. But I'll tell Laney and Cam that the information came out about their relationship because _I_ was trying to find out whether or not it was true. I'll tell Georgia that I put her off of the sergeant at arms position because I was jealous of her and Ash. Then they'll stop being mad at each other – Georgia won't think that Ash was okay with her not being sergeant at arms. Her not being angry at them will make it easier for Laney to reconcile with Cam and Ash. Laney and Cam will realize it was _my_ fault and I'll tell them that I asked you to let Cam stay with them so Laney won't have that to be angry at Cam for, and they'll be closer to getting back together."

"They'll be pissed at you!" Reina protested. "If you do that-"

"I know."

"It's not the truth! I bet that's not even why you kicked Georgia off that stupid position!"

Lillian considered this for a moment. She had a real reason for why she had kicked Georgia off of her sergeant at arms position, but she would be lying if she denied the revealed feelings as taking a part in that. It seemed even she could do reprehensible, disgusting things. Georgia didn't deserve to be kicked off of the club completely. She needed to know how to act differently, and that was all.

She deserved a position.

Lillian sighed, leaning against the wall, and Reina frowned. "What is it?"

"I've got to tell Georgia something else too."

"Lillian, don't do something stupid just because you feel bad for your friends. You-"

"I want them to be happy more than anything else. And I could have told Georgia the truth. I was afraid of telling her about everyone saying…and so I…" Lillian sighed again, shaking her head. "But when you told me that she liked Ash, I made the decision to dismiss her rather than explain it to her…she deserves to be on the club. Really. And so does Mikhail."

Reina opened her mouth and then sighed as well, shaking her head. "You really are loyal to a fault. Selfless. Also pretty dumb."

Lillian smiled and shrugged. "Maybe. A little."

Reina smiled back at her. "Thank you, Lillian. I shouldn't let you do this for me, but I'm going to. That's _my_ fault, I guess. I'm not such a good person."

"I wouldn't do this if I wasn't doing it for a good person."

They smiled at each other and then Reina gestured for her to come inside with her. "Have lunch with me and Nori for the day. We'll be your replacement friends for a while, if you want."

"Replacement friends?"

"Well, don't get ahead of yourself. I'm not going to call you a friend just because of all this!"

But Reina smiled at her again, and Lillian smiled back, and she knew that Reina wasn't telling the truth this time around.

* * *

"Did you take care of what you needed to do at lunch?" Dirk asked when Lillian sat behind him. She was grateful for this, because it meant Kana didn't get a chance to say anything. He stared at his desk, looking uncomfortable and guilty instead.

"Yeah. I've got a lot more to do today, though." She leaned against the window and smiled at him. "Dirk?"

"What is it?"

"…Thanks for always trying to help me, and thank you for telling Reina it was you who told the Oracle even though it was partly my fault for getting you involved in this whole thing in the first place."

Dirk looked at her for a moment and then sighed. "Don't thank me. You already know I'd do anything if it would make you happy."

Lillian's cheeks flared up, but Dirk's did as well this time, and he turned away rather than look at her any longer. Lillian focused on Mr. Hamilton as he began to lead the class, but a smile lingered on her lips that could not be defeated by the task looming ahead of her.

* * *

"Georgia, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Georgia looked at Lillian in surprise as she met her at the clubroom door. "Shouldn't you be inside, doing stuff with the other club officers?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"No."

Georgia frowned at this. "…Alright. Let's talk."

* * *

"So you're not going to the club today?" Georgia asked, frowning. "What am I supposed to tell him? He doesn't want me to be the vice president, Lillian. He's not going to be…he'll try to convince you to change your mind and…it doesn't matter if I do – if I _did_ – this is stupid and-"

"I'm not going today, so he can't argue with the decision. Just…keep in mind what I said. They want someone who will encourage them and be nice to them. So…please be that person."

Georgia stared at her for a moment and then sighed. "I want to be angry at you, but I can't. I can't believe you're doing this. Stepping down from club vice president…it's unheard of."

"_You_ are the person who loves this club. _You_ are the person who has always been working with Ash throughout high school. _You_ should have been president. You don't have to worry about the buzzer anymore – you already know who the main one is. So just put forth your efforts into making this club the great club you wanted it to be. Alright? Can you promise me you'll do that?"

They stared at each other for a moment and then Georgia smiled, reaching her hand up in a fist like she was going to hit the brunette before bringing it gently down upon her head. "You're a good person, Lillian. Thank you for telling me the truth about why you asked me to step down. I appreciate it. But...you should know…my feelings for Ash…they're not reciprocated. At first, to be honest, I hated you for it. But it's always been you. Always. You know that already, don't you? So why don't you do anything about it?"

Lillian's cheeks heated up. "I've still got a lot of things to do before I could consider that-"

"If it's because of Dirk, I won't forgive you," Georgia told her, a faint smile still on her lips. "If there's one person in the world that I don't mind losing to in this case, it's you. I…I'm not going to forget this. This club means the world to me, and even though everyone wanted you to get me fired from the position…you giving me _your _position…I can never fully thank you."

Lillian smiled at her, shaking her head. "You're the one who deserves this position the most, Georgia. So…let's win and go to the City, alright? And you can meet the old club president again and-"

"And I'll give him the trophy," Georgia finished, grinning. "Help me do that. I can't do it without my club members."

"Yeah," Lillian grinned. "I'll do my best."

Ash's voice came from the room, calling the club to order. "Well, I'll tell Laney and Cam to meet you later like you asked," Georgia finished. "I guess…I better go break the news to everyone. And you better head home as soon as possible. Once Ash finds out, he's going to try and change your mind."

"Can I ask you one last question?" Lillian asked hopefully.

"Shoot," Georgia answered.

"Do you…have any feelings for Kana?"

Georgia made a face, and then laughed. "For that idiot? I hate him. That was a one-time favor. But…I'm ready to try being his friend now. I think you've made it clear to me that you can definitely go from hating someone to actually liking them. Now...hurry up and get out of here."

Lillian grinned and nodded, waving as she hurried towards the exit. When she broke free from the main gates of school, she stopped and leaned against the wall. She looked like just another underclassmen who got to leave early. Nobody knew her well enough to know any better. She slid down the wall and sat cross legged against it, covering her face. Leaving her club position was what she needed to do – it was what she deserved for giving up on Georgia because of petty bitterness. But thinking of no longer having a hand in it, of no longer working beside Ash…

She sighed and looked out at the clouds. Gorgeous as ever. Just because she wasn't club president didn't mean she wasn't a part of the club. She would just have to work from the sidelines from now on.


	23. Orange Mug

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: This chapter is back to the usual especially long length haha. And we have a guest appearance this chapter! A character from another game, haha. I'm a little excited for it! :P Also, there's some information being revealed in this chapter I think a lot of people have been curious about~ Hahah. Before I get to that though, I want to thank a few of my long-term reviewers. HMWarriorsLife10, pohkeemawn, Zillia Derato, and jory014 have reviewed nearly every chapter! Haha, it's fantastic, and I'm always excited to see your names. (: Also, hitsugaya-tomome, harvestmoon4ever, Tensei Kano, and DuchessPinkcat have reviewed multiple chapters as well, so thank you! And thanks to everyone else who reads, follows, and favorites. It's incredibly encouraging considering how long this story is haha. Also, last chapter got six reviews right away even though I uploaded it so late into the night, so thank you all for that! I hope you continue to read and review this story, it definitely motivates me to get more time in for writing. (: Well, with no more delays, enjoy the chapter!  
_

* * *

Lillian sat at her kitchen table, passing her favorite orange mug back and forth. When she and Dirk and Ash were children, they had constantly bought things in threes – notebooks, pencils, key chains, cups, everything. Somewhere in Dirk and Ash's kitchens, unless they had thrown them away, they had the same mug. Lillian had never stopped using hers, though now the tea was gone and it was more of a play thing she used to exhort her nervous energy.

Perhaps she would have gone on playing with her cup for the next few hours until she dragged herself to bed had her mother not come in from the front yard dangling the mail key and said, "One of your friends is here!"

"W…who is it?" Lillian asked nervously. She had already spoken to Cam and Laney, and that left only one person who could have come to see her, and she wasn't looking forward to telling that person why she had given up on being vice president of Bluebell.

"It's a very strange looking girl…she has bright _pink_ hair, and she's wearing this big, long dress…with frills on the sides…and she wouldn't say her name, she said I wouldn't believe her…"

Lillian's eyes widened and she thanked her mother before dashing off, nearly knocking the Oracle over as she hugged her. "I thought you were Ash!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you coming to school? Why-"

"I'm coming tomorrow, don't worry," the Oracle chuckled, patting her head. "Are you disappointed Ash isn't here?'

"Ah…no…I'm glad to see you. I'm just worried about what Ash will say when we do meet again."

"I'm already all filled in on everything that happened," the Oracle told her.

"How- no, never mind. You have your ways, I know. Why haven't you been coming to school? Laney and Cam, they don't blame you at all…in fact, they blame me…"

She thought of how she had told the pair that it was her who had spied on them and found out and how quickly they had believed her. That stung – it was her who had spied on them, but she _hadn't_ been the one to tell the Oracle. She had been fully intending to take their secret relationship to her grave if that's what they wanted. She wasn't sure how much of an effect her words had had – when she revealed her supposed part in Reina and Cam's plans Laney had burst into tears, and Cam's eyes had flown open. But they left together, and she hoped…she hoped…

"You're a nice girl," the Oracle told her, patting her head again. "I heard what you told them too. You lied to them. You're not the one who told me, and it's not your fault that Dirk and I found out. You did your best to protect their secret. That's not very fair, for them to blame you."

"It's okay," Lillian murmured. "It's my fault for not letting things drop…Reina gave up, so why didn't I do the same? I shouldn't play detective when people's feelings are at stake."

The Oracle smiled. "I like that you play detective. You have to know I'm not going to let you take the fall."

"It's fine, you don't have to worry," Lillian told her, forcing on her best smile. "I'm sure eventually they'll forgive me. There's no need to tell them the truth, though."

"Hmm. Oh, dear. I've got to craft an even _better _plan now!" the Oracle exclaimed. When Lillian began to protest she changed the subject, asking instead, "And why aren't you Bluebell vice president anymore?"

Lillian looked down. "Last Friday a bunch of club members came to me and said that Georgia needed to either stop being sergeant at arms or I needed to talk to her. I was trying to decide what to do when…I talked to Georgia about something and…and Reina told me something that made me decide to dismiss her completely. But…I know how important this is to Georgia. I was jealous and I dismissed her when I should have given her another chance. So…to make up for what I did…I gave her my position."

"What did Reina tell you?" the Oracle asked.

"Something…" Lillian sighed, shrugging embarrassedly. "Something about her and Ash and-"

The Oracle laughed and tapped her forehead like Dirk did, gesturing for her to stop. "You really are a good person. Everyone is motivated by jealousy to an extent. Why are you so embarrassed about it?"

"I don't want to be mean to my friends just because of something like _that_," Lillian told her, making a face. "You're acting strange."

"Like I know everything?" the Oracle winked. "I do know everything! I just came to see how you were doing after Ash told me everything that happened."

"What-"

"He's here. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I asked him to wait so I could talk to you for a bit."

Lillian prepared to complain, but then just settled for a laugh. The Oracle was the Oracle – that meant you had to accept being deceived sometimes. It would never be done out of malice, and she knew that despite her protests the Oracle was up to _something _to help her. "It's alright. As long as you promise to come to school from now on."

"Mhm. I'm definitely going to. Anyways, I've got to head over to Re- somewhere."

"What?! Why are you-"

"Gotta go!" the Oracle exclaimed. She headed towards the sidewalk and called out, "Ash, you can talk to her now! Sorry for the wait!"

He rounded the corner with a look of exasperation and was nearly knocked over in the Oracle's exit. Lillian shook her head, sighing. Even if she tried to catch up to her, she had proven how ridiculously quick she was already. There was no use in trying. She looked at Ash and then looked away instantly. If the Oracle had heard everything from Ash, that meant that Ash had probably already spoken to Cam. So did he think that…?

"I heard what you and the Oracle were saying," he admitted first.

No, then he could not think that it was her fault about anything with Cam. Not to mention he knew more of the truth to begin with. She blushed and nodded, avoiding his eyes.

"You never tell me anything," he sighed. "Why didn't you tell me this plan?"

"I didn't have time. I left lunch with Dirk right after it started and went to meet Reina and planned everything. I didn't want to let you talk me out of stepping down as vice president…"

Ash gestured for her to sit down on the grass, dropping his jacket onto it first for them to sit on. "I am sort of upset you stepped down. My condition for being club president was that you would be vice president, you know."

Lillian groaned, having forgotten about that. "I'm sorry, Ash. Really…after pushing you to be president and everything…I'm really sorry. It's just that to Georgia, this club is really important, but to me…it doesn't mean as much. I asked her to tone it down, and I hope she did."

"She actually did. She apologized to everyone for her behavior and promised to set something up for them. She said she was open to taking suggestions from anyone and stayed after the club even when I left to speak to the members. She really took what you said to heart. And because of that, it seemed like our group was a little closer than before."

Lillian leaned towards him excitedly, her eyes wide and hopeful.

"And that's what you wanted, huh?"

"How did you know that?" she demanded.

He just laughed. "Your reaction. The method. I've known you since we were kids. You've got a lot of good qualities, Lillian. But I don't think I've ever met someone so naïve and meddlesome than you."

She leaned away. "That's not nice," she muttered.

He smiled and put his hand on top of hers. "But I like that about you too."

Her cheeks colored, and she looked away. "H…how are Laney and Cam?"

"I'm not sure. Cam called me and filled me in on everything you had said and asked if he should be angry at you or not. He said he's already angry at you."  
"Why?" Lillian asked, turning to him in shock.

Ash stared straight ahead, but his hand turned over and held hers. "Lillian…listen to what I ask, and give me a serious answer. Please."

"Of course," she replied, feeling a nervous twitter in her chest.

"…Do you have feelings for Dirk?"

Lillian pulled her hand free without thinking, looking at him in shock. "What? Why would you ask me that?"

"Because, Lillian. Please don't act like you don't know why."

He still didn't look at her, and instead sat slumped over his raised knees, hands brushing against individual blades of grass. His expression lacked the usual optimism and hope she often saw in him, and was instead dulled. The sky was darkening, but the clouds still floated silently overheard. Lillian stared at him and then murmured, "I wouldn't say…I don't exactly…it's not that I have a crush on him or something…"

Her hesitation spoke more than she did. "I've got to go," Ash told her, rising to his feet and turning a clearly forced smile towards her. "Thank you for answering my question. I'll talk to Cam for you, but you did your best. See you tomorrow. I'll be walking with Cam, so…I'll see you at break or lunch or whenever, I guess. Club block for sure. Sit close to the stage."

"Ash," she murmured, "I don't-"

"I've really got to go," he replied. "Sorry. See you."

He walked away quickly, his footsteps pounding on the sidewalk and his face as clouded as the sky as he stared determinedly at his shoes. Lillian put her hand down and realized she still had her jacket, pulling it from underneath her and hugging it to her chest. "I didn't mean that I didn't like you," she whispered to herself, into the jacket. It smelled faintly of pets at his store, of grass, and of her. Her perfume still clung to it from the last time she had held it.

* * *

Lillian missed homeroom the next morning, though she knew it was cowardly. She waited outside the door of her first block, nervous at the thought of seeing Cam. Of seeing anyone, really. She wasn't sure why she hadn't told Ash the day before that, if forced to compare, her feelings for him would outweigh those for Dirk. That was the truth. Why hadn't he asked her _that_? She hugged her backpack to her chest, thinking of his jacket zipped into it. If she was brave enough, she would return it to him during club block. But if her courage failed her…she would disappear and never show up to club block. She wasn't aware that she could be such a spineless person.

She knew eventually the bell would ring, but the ten minutes she spent waiting were agonizing. She would tell the teacher she wasn't feeling well and had missed homeroom. The fear of marked absence didn't bother her in the slightest. A fear of Laney and Cam and especially of Ash was what kept her rooted to her spot, terrified.

And when the bell did ring, she was even more worried. Cam was already angry at her, Ash had said. What would he think now? She hugged the backpack tighter, biting her lip.

Cam stood beside her sooner than later, and she looked nervously towards him. "Where were you during homeroom?" he asked first.

"I came a little late."

He smiled gently at her and opened the door. "Well, better get in there and tell the teacher that."

She looked at him, stunned, and then said, "Cam, I-"

"Ash told me the truth. I'm not going to tell Laney, if that's alright with you. He said you never asked Reina and you weren't the one who told the Oracle. I didn't think you would in the first place. I already said I don't blame anyone but myself. So…don't apologize to me anymore. You didn't do anything wrong."

Lillian hesitated and then smiled. "Thanks, Cam."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you," he replied. "Thanks for going along with my selfishness, and everyone else's. Always wrapped up in their own business and always reluctant to take the blame. Nobody can fault you for doing your best to help us."

"And…Ash…"

"That's not my field," he told her, looking a little embarrassed. "If you don't say anything further about my relationship issues, then I've got nothing to say about yours."

Lillian smiled again, nodding. "Alright. Deal."

Cam just laughed. "Hurry up and tell the teacher. I'll be waiting for you so we can get back to our project."

* * *

Lillian met the Oracle at lunch, as though the girl had been aware her friend would be alone. "You look so depressed," she said. "What's the matter?"  
Lillian sighed. "Just stuff with Ash."

The Oracle made a face. "What? How? Yesterday he was all onboard for cheering you up, and then he worries you instead? That's _worrisome_. I need to speak with him about how to correctly cheer people up because he's doing _something _wrong."

She was clearly looking to make her friend laugh, but Lillian wasn't laughing. "It's not his fault. It's mine," she mumbled.

The Oracle tilted her head to the side. "Lillian…what happened?"

"I…I don't know how to explain it," Lillian lied. How was she supposed to confide in the Oracle about these issues? Her feelings for Dirk – both girls' feelings for Dirk. Only one of them was sure of them and she was the one whose feelings weren't being reciprocated in the least. Lillian buried her head in her lap, guilt pouring from her. Cam had thanked her for going along with their selfishness, but she was the one being the most selfish of all – she was the one relying on both boys and forcing them to feel miserable about her opinion.

"Lillian…"

"Can I have a minute?"

The Oracle looked up at Ash in surprise, as did the brunette beside her. Lillian's eyes were comically wide – or they would be comical, were they not shining with frustration directed solely at herself. The Oracle put a hand on her shoulder and then said, "Of course, Ash. I'll see you in class, Lillian, but if you need me later, I'll be with Dirk in the cafeteria."

"Thank you," Lillian told her, waving her off, though she knew that even if her conversation with Ash ended a second later she wouldn't be able to sit beside the Oracle and Dirk as though nothing was troubling her. She wasn't sure how she would ever face Dirk again. His words rang in her head – _"You already know I'd do anything if it would make you happy." _Why had those words alone made her so happy? Thinking of this while being around Ash, the thought of thinking about it while being around _Dirk_…she stared guiltily up at Ash and then said, "I have your jacket."

"Go ahead and keep it for now. Maybe you'll think to bring _it _with you since you never carry around a jacket of your own."

He sat down beside her, but he was careful not to brush against her as he usually did. That meant the several inches between their hands suddenly felt like miles apart. Lillian wasn't sure at what point she had grown used to the feel of Ash's hand in hers, but knew that she had come to a new point where the absence of his touch stung.

"Okay," she answered.

"I…don't want you to sit out here feeling bad, alright?" he mumbled, avoiding her eyes. "This is one problem you don't need to try and scheme to fix or anything. So just let it be."

"Ash-"

"Please don't say anything." His voice was strained. "Just sit here with me for a while. Please. Just the two of us at lunch for the first time in a long time."

Lillian considered all of the things she could say to comfort him, but she knew why he didn't want to hear them – they were things she wasn't sure of herself. She nodded and stared out towards the students skirmishing on the field and gossiping around the fountain. She and Ash were the only couple out that day. She opened her mouth to say that she wanted it to continue, and stopped. That was one thing she honestly meant, but Ash was struggling to keep a straight face, and she decided to help.

* * *

"What's wrong with you?"

Lillian looked at Dirk and then looked away. It was absolutely pointless to try and tell him nothing was wrong because she _always _told him nothing was wrong and he _always _saw through her. So she shrugged instead and said, "Just stuff."

"Just stuff," Dirk repeated. "Hey…can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Have you talked to Ash yet about why he and I stopped being friends?"

Lillian's eyes widened in surprise. How had something that seemed to be so monumental slipped from her mind? She had absolutely forgotten about it in the sway of past events. "No. Not yet," she admitted.

Dirk hesitated, looking towards the Oracle, who was doing her best not to eavesdrop for once, and was holding up a teasing conversation with Kana, who had been struggling to find a point to speak to Lillian throughout the block. "I'm going to ditch the club today, so…let me be the one to tell you."

"What?" she asked, making a face. "You can't just ditch club block when you're the club _president_!"

"It's no big deal," he shrugged. "The competition is tomorrow and it's already leaked out that it's some sort of Bluebell and Konohana history quiz, so they're just drilling. They don't need me to guide them. Hiro can take care of that. If Ash hasn't told you yet, than I want to be the one who tells you. And from what I've heard, you're not necessary to Bluebell anymore, so you can ditch the block for the day."

"Did she tell you?" Lillian asked, feeling embarrassed as her eyes darted to the Oracle.

"No. Ash did."

She narrowed her eyes and frowned at him. "Alright. If I let you tell me everything, will you tell me what's going on between you and Ash? If you two are friends…or whatever."

"Or whatever," Dirk repeated thoughtfully. "Sure."

"He's going to be mad at me," Lillian murmured, more to herself than to Dirk.

He chose to reply anyways. "Let him be angry for today," he said.

Lillian knew it was cruel, but she agreed to it nonetheless. _Let him be angry for today_, she repeated to herself. She had vowed to never let Ash become angry over anything, and here she was, the culprit of his anger. She thought of he and Georgia leading the club together, and decided she didn't want to see that. She knew it was cruel. She did. But who was she being crueler to – Dirk, who she was spending time with so she didn't have to see Ash and Georgia together, or Ash, whose meeting she was skipping out on to be with Dirk? She looked at Mr. Hamilton and at the Oracle and at Kana and finally at Dirk. All unaware of her thoughts. She wished for a moment that she could selfishly wrap them up in her problems, wrap _everyone _in her problems, but knew she couldn't – and it wasn't because she was "selfless to a fault." It was because she was afraid, and that was the only difference between her and her friends.

* * *

Dirk led Lillian towards his home, his voice rising with barely suppressed annoyance as he said, "My brother is back in town for the weekend."

"Really?" Lillian asked, her own glee obvious. "I haven't seen Ivan in four years…he's so old now."

"His girlfriend is with him," Dirk noted. He was quiet for a moment and then laughed, saying, "Do you remember when you had a crush on him when we first started hanging out? Ash got so angry he 'accidentally' dumped his glass of water all over his lap."

"Ash was pretty vindictive when he was little," Lillian recalled with a smile.

"He's grown up a lot," Dirk mumbled.

Lillian glanced at him, silent except for the shaking of her bag as it drummed against her back. Winter was on their heels, and it looked like it was about to rain – the first rain of the cooler seasons. She thought of Ash's jacket in her bag when the cold began to chill her, but was reluctant to put it on before Dirk, and that made her angry at herself. "Would you tell me about you and Ash first?" she asked.

"About how we are now?" Dirk was buttoning his maroon coat all the way up his chest, though he left the top button undone, as he left the top button of the white button up shirt beneath it undone as well. Lillian laughed at how professional he always appeared, despite being only seventeen. Then again, she often felt like they were playing at a game much older than them – feuds and frustrations and all of the stupidity that came along with rivals and all of the sorrow that came with secrets and relationships.

"Yeah."

"He's been keeping me updated lately," Dirk shrugged. "I wouldn't call us friends, but he's told me quite a bit. For example, he told me that Cam is staying with Reina and that you tried to tell Cam and Reina everything was your fault and, as I mentioned before, that you stopped being club vice president and gave the position to Georgia."

"You never act like you know all of this," Lillian pointed out. "When the Oracle knows something, it's pretty obvious…"

"I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. I wanted you to feel like you could tell me." He glanced at the clouds overhead and said, "Better hurry before it rains on us. I don't have an umbrella."

They picked up their pace, Lillian mulling his words over as they skipped along the sidewalk. Every once in a while a drop would strike the pavement and darken the gray, but it was so rare it wasn't proposing too much of an immediate threat. "Why does he tell you all of this?" she asked. "He never told me that he was telling you any of it."

"He's been telling me everything ever since you asked me to do something last Friday. He said if I cared about you as much as I used to then he would fill me in on what was going on like he used to too. You probably know more about this then I do, anyways."

Lillian was quiet for a moment, and then groaned. _His deal with the Oracle_, she realized. _He said he would help patch up our friendship_. But was that all? She found herself hoping that there was something else tethering Ash to Dirk. "Do you still hate each other?" she asked next.

"I wouldn't say I hate him, though it's easy to dislike him at times." Dirk sighed, digging his hands into his pockets. He looked very young for a moment, as though he were pouting like he had back in middle school. "He knows everything about you. It's a little frustrating."

Lillian looked at him and then looked at her shoes. A drop landed on them. She slid the backpack from her shoulders and pulled Ash's jacket out, performing a sort of juggling act of her bag and the jacket to get it on without dropping her backpack onto the sidewalk that was collecting a steady input of rain. She pulled the hood up and was met with the familiar scent of Ash all around her. Dirk glanced at it and then looked away.

"I think he feels the same way about you," Lillian admitted, her voice soft. "He feels like you know everything about me and he's being left out."

"You think so?" Dirk laughed, shaking his head. "There's a new conversation topic for us later. Come on, let's go – I don't have a hood, and I don't want to be caught in this."

He grabbed the sleeve of her jacket and tugged hard before running ahead. He wasn't as quick as the Oracle, but she wasn't sure if that was because he was accommodating for her awkward pace – the backpack drilling into her constantly made jogging a little difficult – or if it was just a new thing to learn about him. His race with Ash had been uncooperative and stubborn at best, anyways. They hurried towards Dirk's house, and he beat his fist twice against the door as soon as they were in arms length.

Ivan opened the door and a grin instantly lit up his face. "Lillian, is that you?"

"Yep!" She grinned at Ivan and felt a twinge of embarrassment. Dirk was right – she _had _once had a crush on Ivan. It was funny how things had changed since that time.

"Well, you've grown to look lovely. How have you been?" he opened the door wider for both of them, taking her backpack and depositing it off to the side of the entry way.

"Good," she told him. "What about you?"

"I'm doing great! I'd like you to meet my girlfriend later. She's off visiting some friends who live in town, but I'd like to show off my little brother's best friend to her." He gave her a gentle smile and then looked outside a little confusedly before closing the door behind him. "I half-expected Ash to be right behind you," he admitted. "How's he doing?"

"He's doing good too," she replied. "And I'd love to meet your girlfriend."

Ivan grinned at her latter comment, and then hesitantly asked, "You two are still close, right?"

"Best friends," Lillian answered. Her voice was a little proud.

"That's good to hear. I'll make you two something to drink!" Ivan patted his brother's head and went into the kitchen, whistling a tune behind him.

"Did he grow up to be as good looking as you thought he was when we were thirteen?" Dirk asked, winking.

"Shut up!"

* * *

Lillian sat at Dirk's computer chair, listening to Ivan play the piano from the living room. "He's gotten really good," she noted.

"He's good at practically everything," Dirk mumbled. His voice was edged with bitterness that didn't go unmissed by either of them, so he quickly edited it as he said, "Piano is his specialty though."

"Ivan _is_ good at a lot of things," Lillian murmured thoughtfully. "He was valedictorian, wasn't he? Of elementary school, middle school, high school – though valedictorian of elementary school isn't too impressive…they make everyone who graduates a valedictorian."

Dirk shrugged. "Yeah…he's lucky."

"You are too," Lillian pointed out. "You'll probably be valedictorian this year too, won't you? And you're good at a lot of things too."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Don't try to make me feel better. Compared to my brother I'm a complete screw up. My parents would be miserable."

His eyes shot to the photograph of his deceased parents, and Lillian's eyes dropped to the floor. She wished that she had gotten to meet Dirk's parents – he had never spoken much of them, but Ivan had talked to her about them in great lengths before, back when she hung on his every word. "I don't think they would. I think they'd be proud of you. You're going to be our _valedictorian_ – screw ups don't become valedictorians."

He glanced at her and then sighed. "You're providing a perfect lead in, you know. To the reason Ash and I stopped being friends."

Lillian's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

He spun his orange mug, full of the tea his brother had made, and watched the steam rise as the liquid swam in a circle long after he stopped moving the cup. "We talk about me and Ash not being friends like it's some…huge monumental event. But it's not. When a friendship ends, it's not like a meteor crash or a war. It's just something that happens, hurts, fades away. We stopped being friends. It's such a tiny event."

"I'm still interested."

Dirk smiled. "You're interested in a lot of things. I've never met someone more curious in my entire life."

"Is that a bad thing?"

He looked at her, watching as she hugged Ash's jacket tighter around her. He smiled again and shook his head. "No. It's not a bad thing, Lillian."

They sat in silence after that, the piano humming in the background. The rain poured endlessly upon the roof, the noise echoing throughout the tiny building. Dirk's phone had rung a few times since they arrived, but he hadn't picked up any of the calls. Lillian glanced at him and said, "Are you okay?"

Dirk sighed. "Ash didn't do anything _terrible_ to me, but I blame him for this all. And that's why it's so hard to be his friend. Trying to put this into words…it sounds childish and pathetic no matter how many times I think about it. I want to phrase it and include _everything _I felt. All of my frustration and sadness and guilt and loneliness…but I can't. It's just going to sound stupid."

"It's not going to sound stupid to me."

He smiled at her use of the same words he had used previously to comfort her. "Okay."

Ivan stopped playing the piano, and the sound of a cover being put over the keys clanged throughout the nearly empty house. Dirk opened his curtains so he could watch the rain. "When we were kids…it was always a competition over who you liked more, you know. Ever since I started hanging out with you two and you took to me so well. Ash and I were constantly fighting for your attention. You were so young and innocent, I don't know if you ever even picked up on it. I get how Ash was feeling…some new person started hanging out with you two and he was pushed off to the side. But you were the first person I became friends with in that school, and I wanted all of your attention. Ash and I were close, but at the same time…we hated each other even back then. We were constantly looking for an opportunity to screw the other over.

"We were both pretty much devastated when you moved away. It was definitely awkward without you during lunch and breaks. We didn't have much to say to either without you there. Things got more and more uncomfortable as time went on. Ash would bring his letters from you so happy…I got a couple of your early letters, but I never convinced myself to write back. You didn't have my phone number, but you had Ash's, and you called him a lot. You two made plans to meet up at the end of the year. Ash and I started treating it like a competition, comparing letters to see how you treated each of us in turn. Finally it just reached a point where…I couldn't take it anymore. He started telling me about his plans with you and I told him that I was going to…tell you I liked you, or something like that."

He blushed and looked away. As brave as Dirk usually was, he was suddenly very meek. "That way I would be able to dominate your attention, I said. I told him you would definitely return my feelings. Ash didn't take well to that. He told me that _he _would do it in person when you two saw each other, and I told him it wouldn't make a difference, because you clearly liked me – at that point I was just making things up. I just wanted him to stop looking…so sure of himself. He really believed you would just shoot me down and accept him, and I hated that. But when I told him that…Ash used to be pretty vindictive, as you said. He hit me, and then I hit him, and pretty soon we were in an actual fight. The only fight either of us have ever been in, and we were both terrible. It can hardly even be considered a fight, really."

Dirk did his best to underplay the situation, running a hand through his hair and watching the rain pool up along his windowsill. He didn't dare meet Lillian's eyes just yet. "I was the valedictorian of my elementary school too, you know. And I was supposed to be valedictorian of my middle school. Can you imagine how proud my parents would have been of me if I had been able to follow in my brother's footsteps? But…" he shot her a crooked, despondent smile. "They don't let you become a valedictorian if you're a delinquent, do they? And that's essentially how I was treated when the principal caught wind of it. Hiro tried to stand up for me and argued that it was in self-defense because he had seen Ash hit me first, but the principal said we both needed to be punished. So…I didn't make valedictorian that year. Reina did."

Ivan began to play the piano again, and Dirk rolled his eyes. "I should have gotten rid of that piano, too. He's the only one who can play it."

Lillian was watching Dirk with a mixture of sympathy and guilt. "That's terrible," she murmured. "I'm really sorry, Dirk. You should have made valedictorian."

"Thanks," he murmured. She didn't think he would ever again reply so honestly to her attempts to comfort him. "I don't want you to treat either of us differently because of this. No, that's a lie. That's the entire reason I told you." He laid back on his bed and she watched him from his computer chair. "Don't blame yourself, alright? You were a kid. So were we. It's not your fault we were so idiotic."

Lillian sat on the bed beside him, reaching out towards his face. Dirk's eyes widened as her hand hovered near his cheek, and then she smiled and flicked his forehead, so gently it was more like she had stroked it. "You were a kid. You weren't idiotic."

He smiled at her and then told her, his voice very low, "I'm sorry I never wrote back to you."

"It's okay."

"I wanted to."

"I believe you."

"Ash and I haven't stopped fighting for your attention," Dirk told her, catching her hand. "But you already know that. You've already chosen."

"I…no," Lillian shook her head, looking away. "I-"

"Just kidding." Dirk sat up and released her hand. His smile was as painful as Ash's had been the day before. "Do you want more tea?"

She nodded and let him go fetch her more, glancing at the orange mug once again. The rain had faded so much into background noise she didn't even notice it.

* * *

"Hey!"

Lillian spun at Reina's voice, shocked to hear it ring out so loudly across the campus. She was standing with Hiro beneath the shade of a tree, waving one hand for Lillian to see. It was amazing, how the weather had gone from raining to so sunny so early in the morning that they needed to take cover from it beneath the tree. Lillian smiled and crossed over to stand before them. Reina looked like she was about to talk, but Hiro interrupted her, amazingly enough, his head bent forward as though he were bowing as he blurted out, "I'm really sorry for how I treated you a few days ago, Lillian. I consider you my friend, and I hope you consider me the same even after that."

Lillian tilted her head to the side and smiled. "Of course I still consider you a friend, Hiro. It's alright."

He looked up at her and breathed a sigh of relief. "Good," he murmured. "I…was really worried about that."

Reina looked at him, tenderness in her eyes. "You're too nice for your own good," she told him. "If you're afraid of Lillian of all people, then there's something wrong. This girl is the most forgiving person I know."

They glanced at each other and smiled. Lillian could see Laney, Georgia and, much to her relief at their closeness, Cam in the distance, and she could feel their eyes on her. She had to admit that she missed them, but standing with Reina and Hiro, hugging Ash's jacket tighter around her shoulders despite the sun bearing down on them, she found that she was content with where she was for the moment.

* * *

Laney sat down at the window seat in homeroom, and Cam sat next to her, offering Lillian an apologetic look. Once she had sat between them, and now Laney did her best to ensure she didn't have to be near her. "I'll talk to you later," he mouthed.

During their third block, after she had spent break with Mikhail during one of his rare free times, Cam slid into his typical seat next to her, the guilt still in his eyes. "Laney…doesn't really know everything," he admitted. "Whatever happened between you and Georgia…it's pretty much a secret to everyone except for maybe Ash. I think he might know about it, but I'm not sure. She hasn't told anyone. And I haven't told anyone what Ash told me about you. So Laney…is left in the dark about this. She'll come around, but for now…she's just…hurt. She-"

"She thinks her friend betrayed her," Lillian murmured. "I understand. I expected you all to feel that way towards me."

Cam sighed, shaking his head. "I don't understand why you went through with all this, then. And why didn't you come to the club block yesterday? We included Mikhail before he was an officer as if he _were _an officer – we can do the same with you. You don't have to just stop coming."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I wasn't feeling well."

He didn't look like he fully believed this, but likely believed that she had missed the block due to fear of how the others would treat her, which relieved her. They had agreed not to make any comment on the others romantic life, but if he knew she had spent time with Dirk rather than come to club…he wouldn't care what reason she provided, he would stand with Ash. "How are you and Laney doing now?" she asked.

Cam hesitated and shrugged. "She's obviously not happy about me moving in with Reina…Ash is going to help me move all my stuff starting tomorrow. You can help us too, if you want."

Lillian had thought due to Cam's earlier reaction that he had known everything that happened between her and Ash, but now she realized that he had not been given the details. _Ash hasn't completely confided in him about this_, she thought guiltily. "Maybe. I'll call him if I can."

He nodded and then looked towards the window, sighing. "Honestly…I don't know what to think about what's going on with Laney. She's got some issue with Georgia, though they've buddied up so much lately it's hard to tell if that's still a thing, and she's upset with me and therefore a little upset with Ash, and she's upset with you…I can't tell where her head is at. She broke up with me, but she didn't…explain anything to me. I really…" His eyes darkened, and he rested his head against his folded arms, nearly laying on his desk as he glanced at Lillian. "I guess I just miss her."

Lillian watched him and offered an encouraging smile. "Laney's feelings for you didn't just go away. I know that things will work out."

Cam smiled. "When _you_ say it, it's a little easier to believe it than when Ash does. You'll probably put together some elaborate plan that makes her fall in love with me again. Yeah…I'm counting on you." His voice was slightly sarcastic, but she sensed an honest hopefulness in him that _somebody _would be able to patch things up between them for him. She smiled back at him and nodded.

"Yeah. I'll do my best."

* * *

"Are you excited for the competition?" the Oracle asked as she, Lillian, and Dirk walked towards the auditorium together. Kana had sped ahead of them, saying that he had something to do but asking Lillian to meet up with him later before he went.

Dirk and Lillian walked beside each other, but otherwise acted as though they had never spent the afternoon before together until Lillian got to meet Anita and was given a ride home in Ivan's fancy car. The Oracle was too clever not to know that Lillian had missed club block and therefore pieced together that they had been together, but she did a good job of acting as though she knew absolutely nothing.

"I'm not," Dirk muttered. "I'm pretty sure Bluebell is going to win this one. I heard only ordinary members are allowed to participate, and I don't think any of our members know any of the Bluebell/Konohana history."

"Maybe someone does. The lesson went well yesterday. People can surprise you," the Oracle noted. Lillian thought this was a particularly ironic statement coming from the Oracle.

Dirk prepared to reply and then sighed as he looked out and saw a group of his club members messing around. "I'll be right back," he groaned, stalking off towards them.

The Oracle stopped, and Lillian stopped with her, looking at her in surprise. "What is it?"

"You're wearing Ash's jacket," the Oracle noted. "It's not that cold."

"I get cold easily."

The Oracle was quiet for a moment and then turned to face Lillian. "I honestly think of you as my best friend."

"I think of you as my best friend too," Lillian replied, surprised at this sudden declaration. "What's wrong?"

"I think of you as my best friend…but I think of Dirk as my best friend too. And I need to tell you this…because I don't want you to hurt him." The Oracle was staring determinedly at the floor. "Lillian, Dirk likes you. _A lot_. He really, really-"

"I know."

"What?"

The Oracle was staring at Lillian now, gaping at her, and Lillian had taken her place of looking at the floor. Her hands were clenched into guilty fists at her side. "Of course I know," she whispered. "How could I not know? I've done my best to just act like nothing is happening…like I don't know anything…I'm not that naïve, though. I know. I know! I _know_!"

She looked up at the Oracle, her eyes clouded with tears. "I don't want to hurt him either! I think of him as my best friend too! But I can't help it! I like Dirk, but…but…"

The Oracle watched as Lillian pulled the jacket tighter around her. "I do like him," the brunette whispered. "I like him the way he likes me. But I went four years without talking to him and I was okay. I went just a few days of not being talked to by Ash as much as usual…and it hurt. A lot. I missed him even when he was sitting right next to me. So…as much as I don't want to hurt Dirk, I'm going to have to hurt him eventually…or I'll have to keep playing stupid and hurt them both even more. Dirk and Ash are the only people who can see through it...they know. They're still competing after all these years."

Tears spilled from her eyes, and the Oracle pulled her into a hug. That was how Lillian knew that her best friend was truly an incredible person. The Oracle had wrung her own heart out to do her best to give Dirk a fighting chance, and was forced to watch as not only did he reject her advances, but his own advances were not succeeding often enough. And still, still, she hugged Lillian. "It's okay," she murmured. "Take your time. This is the one time you get to be selfish, okay?"

"...Okay."

"Okay," the Oracle echoed, a tear slipping down her cheek as well.


	24. A Broken Lamp

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Ugh I feel terrible about how late this update is. I'm so sorry. If you saw my Daffodil update you know that I've been piled up with stuff haha. If you haven't seen it, I'll recap my week – first major college assignments (cultural artifact speech about writing & paper about audience analysis), being sick off and on, my boyfriend's ear drum rupturing, and my computer has been acting terribly the past few days. Even today, my cousin was dropped off so her caretaker could be rushed to the emergency, and this is the most bratty child in the world that we've had to babysit hahaha, and I am just barely proofreading this chapter at one in the morning. At least it's a long one haha, so it'll make up for my lateness just a little? Hopefully haha. I hope you can all forgive me! I've got to write a story for my fiction writing class this week, but so far that's the only major assignment I have, so __**hopefully **__I'll be on more. I'll try to get an update up as soon as possible, but I really can't make any promises right now. Please note that I haven't forgotten about this story, I adore it, I want to write it, I just get into periods where I can write and periods where I cannot. Thank you all for being so understanding considering my tendency to keep this story at a strict update rate, I can only imagine how frustrating it is when I break from that after attempting to establish it so, but you've all been so kind and for that I'm very grateful. Thanks for the reviews, follows, favorites, and thank you for simply __**reading**__. It means a lot to me! Please enjoy this chapter._

* * *

Lillian was shuffled into a group with four other Bluebell members, who treated her much like a queen fallen from greatness – they offered pitiful looks, head shakes, and awkward small talk. It took everything she had not to become even more miserable through their treatment. She felt Ash's eyes on her as she nodded to a boy who told her that at least she was still on Bluebell rather than being sent to Konohana, but when she looked at him he was speaking to Georgia instead, who was snapping something at him when she turned and met Lillian's eyes.

"Lillian!" she cried out, gesturing furiously towards her.

"Uh…excuse me," Lillian told him.

"Don't feel bad if they ask you to switch clubs. I'll go easy on you."

"…Thank you."

She rolled her eyes when she turned away. It was strange of her to show annoyance, but she didn't feel very much like hiding it today. She walked to where Ash and Georgia was, her hands in the pockets of Ash's jacket and a very small smile on her face as she looked at Georgia.

"You look down," Georgia noted. "Are they giving you a hard time?"

"They feel really bad for me. They think I was kicked off the club," Lillian admitted, laughing. It fell flat, and Georgia continued to frown.

"What's the matter? You look so bummed."

"Nothing," Lillian told her, laughing again, forcing it out more this time. "I'm just worn out. I think I caught a cold yesterday."

Georgia laughed, shaking her head. "Well, serves you right for ditching the club block! But it's alright. I called you over here to ask – how much do you know about the history of the actual towns of Bluebell and Konohana?"

"Huh? Oh…yeah…that's what this is about today, isn't it?" Lillian murmured, looking at the quiz show set up that was nearly identical to the one used several weeks prior. "I know a pretty good amount of it. I did a project on it a couple weeks back with the Oracle, Kana and Dirk."

"Kana knows some of it too then, huh…"

"Actually, he missed the most important day of notes when he got detention, so Hiro is the one who knows the most," Lillian pointed out.

Georgia's worried expression broke into a grin. "And no club officers can participate – perfect! We get to choose the order of the groups, so I'll throw your group in if things start going bad. I'll be counting on you."

Lillian's eyes widened at these words, and she thought of the last time she had heard them. Her eyes drifted to Cam as he stood beside Laney several feet away. Laney was staring focusedly in the opposite direction. "Yeah. I'll do my best," Lillian responded. Cam glanced over at her and smiled, a little sad. She returned it in kind.

"Thanks!" Georgia told her, patting her shoulder. "I'm going to go out and see how much the other groups know. Oh, and I hope your cold gets better."

Lillian thanked her as well, and then glanced at Ash and then back towards her group – the members were watching her with expectant, sad expressions. She looked over towards Dirk and the Oracle, who were mumbling to each other and looking out towards the crowd. Nothing in their actions betrayed their feelings. She stood up straight and turned to walk away, deciding to be like them.

Ash caught her shoulder, turning her around. "Hey, uh…do you…"

He drifted off, looking down. His hand lingered on her shoulder. "What is it?" she asked gently.

"Dirk…told me that he told you yesterday. I know…I really hurt him back then. But even more than that guilt I…don't want you to think poorly of me."

Lillian looked at him in surprise and then smiled. "I don't think poorly of you at all, Ash. We were kids."

"We're not kids anymore."

"No, we're not."

"Can I talk to you after the competition?"

"Sure. But, I have to talk to Kana about something first. It shouldn't take long, though."

Ash nodded, returning his hand to his side. "Hey…good luck."

"You can count of me," she replied, pushing her thumb proudly against her chest.

He smiled at her and nodded. "Likewise," he murmured.

She felt her cheeks heat up as she turned and walked back to her group. The boy put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Are we enemies now?"

"Yes," she replied. "But I'm still in the club."

She moved and shook his hand from her shoulder. He had touched her in the same spot Ash had, and for some reason that bothered her immensely. She put a hand against her cheek and laughed at how hot it was. It was funny how much could happen and how she could continue to feel this giddy over something so small.

* * *

Their team was two points behind, and truly giving its all. Konohana had pulled through in a way Dirk hadn't expected, and he and the Oracle watched eagerly as their members did impressively well against the Bluebell club, which Georgia had educated very well. Dirk hadn't believed the history lesson would go well without his guidance, but it seemed to have done just fine. Lillian watched him as he watched everyone like a true president. He was everything his brother was and more.

Ash sat back and let Georgia take the reins in this. If Dirk was a president, she was a queen. She ruled over her club members with strict organization, the perfect combination of harshness and sweetness, and some strange array of war tactics. She was _definitely _better suited for her current position then for the sergeant at arms work.

But the competition was drawing to an end, and Georgia had run out of her supply of particularly adept students. She looked meaningfully at Lillian and then leaned in to murmur something to Principal Rutger, who nodded. Dirk followed this all and glanced out towards the crowd before sharing his choice with Principal Ina. The two club advisers looked out to the crowd and called the groups – Lillian was group Q – to the stage.

Lillian stood beside her new-found enemy, her strange teammate, who offered her an encouraging smile. Nothing could dampen his spirits. She stared dully back at him and then smiled. Was that how everyone saw her? She could certainly get tiresome, couldn't she? She found herself laughing as she turned to face Principal Ina, who pulled a card from a box of questions and waited for everyone to quiet down.

"Alright – Team 5 and Team Q. The town of Bluebell had a well-known sculpture that represented its town. What was this sculpture of?"

Lillian and Reina met each other's eyes as Lillian slammed her hand down on the buzzer. "It's a chicken on top of a sheep on top of a cow, like the fountain."

"Correct!" Principal Ina called out. Bluebell cheered furiously.

"Good job!" the boy noted. "Do your best!"

She laughed again and nodded. He really was a lot like her. It made her want to evolve into someone she would be happy to know herself. She looked out towards the Konohana club opposite her. Dirk smiled at her and the Oracle gave her a thumbs up. Reina just laughed and rolled her eyes. Lillian smiled at them all and turned to Principal Rutger, who also pulled a card from the box.

"Alright…which Harvest High employee once lived in the town of Bluebell?"  
This time Lillian struck the buzzer through sheer will – everyone knew Principal Rutger had once been a resident of Bluebell, considering it was the most covered question during the study sessions. Lillian had to say, however, that she was the one who answered first simply because she wanted to. She wanted to be a person who could change, and that meant working for a change.

"Final question – if we keep you all any longer you'll hate us," Principal Ina teased. "Here we go…"

She and Principal Rutger reached in together and, after briefly arguing over whose card they were going to read, held the one Ina had selected and read together from it. "Why did the dispute between Konohana and Bluebell initially become popular?"

Lillian's hand swept forward, but someone else beat her. "Because the tunnel between them caved in!" a Konohana boy cried out.

Everyone leaned forward to see what would happen, but Principal Rutger was already shaking his head. "No, I'm sorry. I'm afraid that's not it. Surprisingly enough, nobody seemed to care when the tunnel caved in…it was like an act of God…"

Lillian slammed her hand on the buzzer. "It's because a farmer came and began to try to fix the relationship between the two towns!"

Principal Rutger looked at her, his eyebrows raised, clearly impressed. "Well…yes. That's exactly right."

Principal Ina groaned, but called out into the microphone, "Club Bluebell wins!"

A smile bloomed on Lillian's face, and she felt a sweep of pure joy. She looked towards the members of her Team Q, and they all grinned back at her. She prepared to tell them good job, but she was interrupted – hands wrapped around her, and she looked to the person in shock.

"Thank you!" Georgia cried out. "You did it! You won it! Thank you so much! We're going to do it – we're going to go to the City and give him our trophy!"

Lillian stared at the redhead, stunned, and then grinned, hugging her back. "Yeah!" she called out. "We're gonna do it! Count on me!"

It seemed in the end she wasn't a person who wanted to evolve at all. The smile never left her face as the Bluebell members cheered furiously and Georgia grabbed her hands, jumping up and down in excitement, screaming about how they were pulling far ahead in points now. Lillian jumped up and down as well. She was a person who wanted other people to be happy with her. She was a person who didn't want to be afraid of selfishness and jealousy and greed. She was a person who wanted to become more like what she had thought of herself, and less of the person she had been lately.

Cam grinned and pulled her into a hug, and Mikhail did the same shortly after. Laney approached her and offered a smile. "You did your best. You were really impressive out there. It wouldn't have mattered if you had lost. Doing your best is all that counts."

Lillian gaped at her and then nodded. "Thank you," she whispered.

Laney pulled her into a quick hug, murmuring, "I'm sorry," when she was near her ear, and then walking away as soon as she pulled back. Lillian grinned, her cheeks stinging from the width of it. Laney had every right to believe that it was Lillian who owed her an apology, and still she had been the one to step up and say she was sorry. She was a person for the brunette to admire. Lillian beamed at everyone who called out a congratulations to her, sure that she would never be so happy again.

"Hey," Ash murmured, approaching her seconds after. "You did _really _well."

"Thank you," she replied, feeling a little embarrassed before his gaze.

"It's really not cold here," he told her. "I said to keep my jacket so you didn't get stuck in the cold, but I didn't mean that you had to wear it all the time."  
"It's my good luck charm," Lillian replied.

In truth was it left her feeling comfortable – it offered a sense of security she had been lacking in lately. But when the words left her mouth, Ash grinned, and he put his hand on her head, holding eye contact with her for a moment before he very gently ruffled her hair. "Then wear it all the time," he told her. "It looks better on you than it did on me anyways. Kana is waiting for you, so…I'll be waiting for you here, okay?"

"Okay," she answered.

He smiled at her and turned to Cam, who seemed especially hopeful about his prospects now that he had seen such a friendly interaction between his ex-girlfriend and Lillian. Her forgiving the person she believed spilled the news meant that she could be with him as well, couldn't it? Lillian certainly hoped so.

Kana was waiting for Lillian, but before she reached him she was nearly knocked over by a pink blur – the Oracle wrapped her arms tightly around her and said, "That was _so _cool, Lillian! I didn't expect it at all. You moved really fast."

"Thanks," Lillian replied, grinning at her. "I feel a lot better now, and it's partly because of all of your help…you've been really nice to me. Thank you."

The Oracle sighed in a teasing way. "I told you…you're my best friend. I want you to be happy."

"Back at you," Lillian smiled.

"Stop being so sentimental," Dirk told them, gently swatting the tops of both girls' heads. "You'd think you just won the trip to the City. We'll be back in full force next week, so don't get _too _comfortable."

But the need to win had left Dirk's eyes. He seemed sincerely happy for her. Lillian tilted her head to the side. What had changed in him, that suddenly left him uninterested in the win?

"It doesn't count if they're coming in full force too. Then we're just back to square one," the Oracle answered.

"Don't rain on my parade, Ulyssa."

"Don't call me that!" she protested, her voice a whine.

Dirk grinned and then turned to Lillian, brushing a speck that clung to her jacket off. Standing with him so close to her while the Oracle watched suddenly felt immensely uncomfortable. "I've got to go," Lillian said abruptly. "I'll talk to you two on Monday."

Dirk looked puzzled, but nodded. The Oracle took his arm and said, "Yes, of course. Goodbye!"

She dragged the boy away, and Lillian was grateful that she had managed to understand. _Or maybe she didn't understand. Maybe she was…jealous_. But Lillian knew that was not it. The Oracle had meant it when she said she'd put away her efforts and her feelings – she would do whatever it took to help Dirk. That took some of the high spirits from Lillian's win and deflated them just a little.

Kana was sitting on the edge of the stage, waiting, watching as club members filed slowly out of the auditorium. He had a solemn expression on his face, and almost didn't notice when Lillian sat beside him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Kana sighed. His words came out quickly, and he hardly took any time for breaths, as though he had been planning what to say. "I'm a jerk, basically. I said all of that stuff to you and…it was completely unnecessary. And…not true. Georgia was glued to Ash's side, yeah. She was obviously into him. But as for Ash liking Georgia…not so much. It was more like Cam and Laney were together so often Ash and Georgia often got lumped together. You already know who he likes. I'm sorry that I said all that stuff to you, I was just…I don't know. I want Georgia to be happy, but I don't know how to do that." He took a deep breath now and shook his head. "I just…don't know."

He looked at Lillian and she offered him a smile. "It's okay," she said. "I think I understand how you feel. You want her to be happy, but her happiness is at the cost your happiness and your friends' happiness…it's not easy to make a choice like that."

"I still didn't need to snap at you like that."

"How about I snap at you once, and then we're even?"

Kana looked at her as though he couldn't believe she would actually speak harshly to anyone. "Give it your best shot," he said.

"You!" she shouted. Everyone who was still lingering in the room looked over. Ash and Georgia stopped their conversation and looked over with raised eyebrows. Lillian raised her hand and brought it down on his shoulder in a way that just made him laugh. "Don't ever underestimate yourself, and don't put other people's happiness before your own, or you'll regret it! Go after what you want with full force, before the others do, or else then it's not full force – it's just equal ground again!"

He laughed, shaking his head. "I don't really understand that part…but okay, Lillian. If you say so. You're…going home with Ash today, aren't you?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Maybe…I'll go home with Georgia then. I'll offer to walk her home." Kana wore a sheepish expression, tapping his cheek embarrassedly. "If she doesn't get annoyed at me for suggesting it, I mean."

Lillian thought of Georgia's earlier words. She was ready to be his friend, she had said. "Give it a try," she suggested. "I think Georgia is up for a change too."

Kana laughed, hopping off the stage's corner and helping her down as well. "I'm really grateful to you, Lillian. Dirk and the Oracle…they never used to take me seriously. Neither did Georgia. But ever since you've been hanging out with them and making an effort to include me…I don't feel like an idiot anymore. I feel like someone who really does have a chance…at anything I try to do. After all, you've done some crazy things since you got here. Things I never thought you could pull off." He turned to her with a teasing grin as he said, "I guess you could say you're kind of my hero."

"Really?" she rolled her eyes playfully. "Maybe you should pick a different hero."

Kana shook his head and started to walk off. "Maybe you should do some more heroic things," he told her, grinning still. "Don't disappoint me!"

With that he dashed off towards Georgia, catching her off guard. She followed him several steps away from Ash, who was already beginning to head towards Lillian. Lillian turned away from the pair, deciding to leave whether or not Georgia went with him or by herself up to her imagination. In the meantime, she would try to do some more heroic things. Maybe that started with Ash.

"Let's go home together today," Ash told her. "Cam is trying to convince Laney to let him walk her home and then go talk to Howard. He wants to apologize."

"What convinced him to try that?" Lillian asked, surprised.

"He said if Laney can forgive you for what she _thinks _you did, maybe Howard can forgive him for what he _did_ do. He doesn't expect him to let him move in or anything, but…to him Howard is like a father, so-"

"Then I'm glad," Lillian said, smiling. "I understand. Cam told me about it a bit."

Ash smiled back at her. "Sometimes I underestimate how much you know everyone."

"You're still a lot closer with them," Lillian pointed out.

Ash shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets as he watched the last stragglers trickle out. "I don't know about that. Dirk told me you saw Ivan yesterday."  
The change in subject was so sudden Lillian didn't have time to reassure him that he knew his friends inside and out. She merely nodded and said, "I met his girlfriend too. Anita. She's really sweet, and funny."

"Were you a little disappointed he had a girlfriend?" Ash grinned.

Lillian made a face. "That was so long ago! Why can't anybody forget about it?"

"So many things haven't changed from when we were little…it's easy to assume _nothing _has changed."

Lillian shook her head. "A lot of things have changed, I think."

Ash started to walk back towards their backpacks, whistling as he went. He swept both of their bags up, and Lillian hugged her textbooks against her chest. "Not many," he said as they began to walk outside. The sky always shined on the days of club competitions. Today was no different. The leaves glowed, dust like halos above them as they floated to the grass. The field hadn't been tended to, and so the courtyard was a mess of leaf piles. Lillian stepped on every leaf they passed by, enjoying the crunching sound.

"But-"

"Dirk and I haven't changed," Ash mumbled. His eyes were downcast, and he avoided every leaf, stepping daintily and purposefully. "Not at all."

"Maybe you have and you don't realize it," Lillian replied, her voice soft. "I think you two are both different…you're a lot more calm now, Ash. It's hard to rattle you, and when you are rattled, you rarely do anything you regret. You keep a good check of your temper. When you were young, you would get angry so fast, but that's not really the case now. Your anger always has a purpose. Dirk…he used to be obsessed with winning, but he seemed genuinely happy for us today. He didn't seem to mind that he lost at all."

"He still wants to win," Ash shrugged. "But, you know. This is just one battle in the war. If there's one thing I know about Dirk, it's that he's always wanted to win. He and I can grow up all we want and we can change in so many ways, but he's still going to want to beat me in the end, and I'm still going to want to beat him. It's just our nature."

Lillian hesitated and then said, "I don't want either of you to win or lose. I want these clubs to be stopped. Then…would you feel like you didn't need to beat him?"

Ash looked at her in surprise. "You're still going for that idea? What do you have planned?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "But I'm going to do something. Especially now that I'm not on a club position anymore."

"But you and Georgia-"

"I'm going to make sure she gets the trophy!" Lillian said quickly, gesturing wildly. "Of course I will! That's the most important thing to Georgia! But…maybe the trophy of two united clubs. I think they would let us have it, considering the circumstances."

Ash smiled and shrugged. "If there's anyone who can unite the two clubs, it's you."

She smiled back at him, but she noted that there was a sadness in his eyes that she could not reach. She used to know all the words to comfort him, but now she found that she was out of them. She trailed slightly behind them as they walked.

"We're moving Cam's things to Reina's tomorrow," Ash announced abruptly when they neared her home. "Do you want to come help out? I'm not as close with Reina, and lately you two have seemed pretty comfortable around each other. I think it'll put Cam at ease, too."

Lillian grinned, thrilled at having been invited. "Yeah! Definitely, I'll help."

"I'll let Cam know and I'll come pick you up tomorrow, alright?" he stopped at the end of her neighborhood, where he often turned to walk a little further along to his own home.

"Sure!"

"Don't look so excited," Ash told her teasingly. "It's no big deal."

"I didn't think you'd want me there." The words slipped out before Lillian could catch them, and she looked down at the pavement. She remembered when Dirk had walked her home. She had not been quite so nervous then as she was now. She felt guilty for just thinking that.

Ash smiled and put his hand atop her head. "Goddess, Lil. You're my best friend. Nothing would ever change that. Don't get so happy over something so small. Anywhere I go, you're invited."

He laughed when she looked up at him in shock, and she felt a swell in her chest. "Thanks," she whispered.

"I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

He waved at her and began to walk away after she lifted her hand in reply, but when he was twenty feet off Lillian cupped her hands over her mouth and called out without thinking, "You too! Anywhere I go, you're invited too!"

Ash turned to her, his eyes wide, and Lillian picked up the backpack he had discarded at her feet and hurried towards her home, her cheeks hot. _I can do something heroic_, she said. _Something other people can be proud of._

And perhaps that started with heeding her own advice.

* * *

It was not Ash who showed up at her door the next day after she had gone through the trouble of trying her hand at the make-up Laney had given her as a good bye present four years ago and ending up removing it all, but Hiro who smiled at her through the screen door. He was wearing very simple clothes and a kind smile as he said, "Hello, Lillian! Reina said that when she heard you were coming, she wanted me to go pick you up."

"How come?" Lillian asked. "Though I'm glad you came to pick me up, Hiro, thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied cheerfully. "I'm not too sure. I wasn't even going to come today until she called and asked if I would meet you and walk you over since I don't live too far from you and she told me she'd like me to help out too. I don't know why they need so many people to move Cam's things over, but…I guess it's a big task."

They chuckled at this joke and walked on, though Lillian knew it was far from the truth – Cam was not a boy known for being materialistic. He likely hardly had any things at all. Lillian wasn't sure _why_ Reina had invited Hiro when Lillian coming along was already unnecessary, but she was glad she did. Hiro, she thought, could help ensure that Reina did not suffer through her unrequited feelings too much – at first. She tried to imagine the pain of living in the same house as somebody who was pining after someone else while you loved him not very secretly and not from afar. She glanced at Hiro, who had been battling his own emotions and helping protect Reina in her scheme to further them, and wondered how he had been doing that for so long.

"What is it?" he asked when he saw her looking at him.

"I was just thinking that…you're a really good friend to Reina."

Hiro smiled, but he didn't answer right away. They walked in silence down the street, Lillian unfamiliar with the way he led her. He didn't need to watch where he was going or check for the proper signs – his feet knew the destination, and carried him without thought. When he took another two rights, he finally told Lillian, "I don't know if you could call me a good friend. I'm selfish when it comes to Reina. I want her to pay attention to only me. I have to constantly fight that. Helping her today…it's going to be hard. But I'll do my best."

"That doesn't sound very selfish," Lillian pointed out.

"That's because you're only hearing words. People can say that they want to help other people, but that doesn't mean they don't plan on helping themselves." Hiro's voice was tinged with misery and frustration, and he made a dismissive gesture in the air as he stared across the sky, clear and graying. "I don't want to be selfish. I want to push Reina's happiness as far as it can go. But I have to be a little selfish, or I'll push my happiness as far as it can go away from me. Not that I'd want her to pretend she liked me the same way as I like her and take pity on me. That would hurt even worse."

Lillian looked sympathetically towards Hiro, her head tilted to the side. He was focusing on his shoes, ignoring everything else for the time being. She had a feeling that he had never spoken these words out loud before, and was now driven to it by Cam, who had absolutely no clue he was inflicting such pain on another person – except for, perhaps, Reina.

"Don't look so sad," Hiro told her, turning his frown hastily into the same cheery smile he always offered. "I am Reina's friend, so I'll help her. Let's do our best today! She's only half a block away."

_So even Hiro is capable of faking such a smile_, Lillian thought. Hiro, who was such a genuine, kind person, still had to struggle to show kindness despite it coming naturally to him. Lillian smiled at him again and said, "You really are a good friend, Hiro."

"Let's see if that's true by the end of the day," he replied, his smile wavering for a moment.

* * *

Reina looked incredibly relieved to see them open the door. "You'd think those two would be more graceful when you look at them, but they've already shattered Cam's lamp, and Ash had to run out and fetch one of his old ones at home for him to use. So…it's been just us. We're about to have lunch."

"What klutzes," Lillian said, laughing, for she knew that was what Reina wanted to hear. "I'm glad we're here in time to eat."

Hiro smiled at Reina in such a gentle way Lillian wondered how Reina could not turn and ache in guilt upon it. Then again, she had much bigger things on her mind. She led them both by the elbows to her kitchen, briefly introducing Lillian to her parents as she went. "Nori was going to come, but she's busy today," she explained. "It's just her and her grandfather, and he's been under the weather lately. She's taking care of him."

"I hope he feels better soon," Hiro murmured fretfully. "It's hard to picture Gombe sick."

"I'm sure he's still out trying to catch bugs and play tag with the kids," Reina mumbled, shrugging off the concern. However, a worried hue clung to her eyes. Hiro didn't miss that, and smiled at it. Lillian watched him with a mix of sympathy and admiration. Hiro so easily masked his own feelings towards Reina, but somehow everything he did around her was still full of love and understanding. She wondered how she appeared to the people around her.

"Lillian!" Cam exclaimed when he saw her. If _Reina _had seem relieved, Cam seemed exonerated, as though Lillian had come as his savior. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the chair next to him. "Did you get here aright?"

"Yeah, Hiro walked me over."

"That's good," he nodded more times than necessary, like a bobble head. "Ash should be back soon. He's sorry he couldn't walk you over, but he'll be glad to hear you walked with Hiro."

He spoke more and faster than usual, and that amused Lillian, though she did her best to hold up his pointless conversation. "Yeah, I'm sure he will. What are we having for lunch?"

Reina answered this time, setting a plate of sandwiches before them. "Have at it," she said.

"Thanks!" Lillian exclaimed cheerfully, pulling one from the tower.

Cam hesitated and murmured, "Thank you," as he gently took the top one and held it daintily before him. Everything about him screamed discomfort. Reina grabbed a sandwich and then said, "Oh, Lillian, I wanted to show you something…about what we were talking about the other day."

Lillian looked blankly at her and then took a bite of her sandwich to give herself extra time to try and remember what she was talking about. When the realization struck her that they _hadn't _been talking about anything in particular, she hopped off the chair and told Cam, "Be right back."

He shrugged, not seeming to mind that he was alone as long as it was with Hiro and not Reina. Lillian took another bite of her sandwich as she followed Reina, who also ate as they went. Along the way were portraits, mostly unwilling shots of Reina for her parents, but a few of her with Nori. One in particular that surprised her was a shot of the girl beside Cam, who had his arm strung around her shoulders, grins on both of their faces. Lillian couldn't recall ever seeing such a wide grin on Cam's face before.

"I am begging you," Reina said when they reached a room with teal walls, closing the door behind the brunette, "Do whatever you can to make this less awkward. I don't know how I'm going to make it through the rest of this year."

"Isn't this your opportunity to patch up your friendship?"

"That's what I was thinking when the Oracle asked me to do this for her, but I didn't imagine it would be so-"

"What?"

Reina looked up at her, slightly surprised. "What, you didn't know?"

"Know _what_?"

"The Oracle asked me to ask Cam if he would move in here as a favor for her. She said that she knew her friends would be devastated if Cam had to move back to town, and even though she knew it would be awkward, she wanted me to help him out. I thought that I _could _overcome the awkwardness, but…I don't know…I might not be able too…"

Lillian sat on the bed, covered with black and white daffodil sheets, and took a large bite of her sandwich. What had the Oracle been thinking in asking Reina such a thing? Had it really been the _only _solution _she _had been able to come up with? Why hadn't she told Lillian that was what she was planning?

She and Dirk had agreed to leave whatever the Oracle's plan was this time around be, but now Lillian wasn't so sure. Whatever the Oracle was planning was involving her friends – Cam and Laney, and also Reina and Hiro. If what the Oracle had told Reina was true, she was doing this in part for Lillian…but at what cost? She turned to Reina and said, "I'll do my best. You try too. You could probably patch your friendship together pretty well if you just…focus on what you have in common."

"Hmm…" Reina hesitated, frowning. "Well…I guess…I'll ask him to help out with my garden."

"That's a good idea," Lillian replied excitedly. She smiled, glad to see a faint grin on Reina's nervous face, and then thought of Laney and frowned. "You're not going to try to…date Cam, are you?"

Reina looked at her and then laughed. "Wouldn't that put you in a bind?" Lillian's face remained solid, expressionless. Reina sighed. "You're not willing to joke around about this one. I get it. No, Lillian. I'm not going to try to date him. I'm not in the mood to humiliate myself."

Lillian frowned, her head tilted to the side. "What do you-"

"He's in love with Laney. I know that. Nothing I could do would change it." Reina crammed the last bit of her sandwich into her mouth and chewed angrily. Lillian spent that time looking around her room. It was brimming with plants.

"When did you start getting so interested in gardening?" she asked, eager to change the subject.

Reina laughed at this attempt, but a tender expression came onto her face that caught Lillian off guard. She was so used to the bitterness and lack of interest on Reina's features that the beauty of such a smile was initially jarring – but after a moment, she couldn't seem to remember any other expression being on her face. The sweet smile belonged there.

"Cam was the one who helped me plant my first garden after he showed me his secret one," Reina told her. "And that's a secret, too. So…don't tell anyone. Not even Nori knows."

"And you chose to tell me?" Lillian asked, eyes wide. Her heart ached for Reina as much as it ached for Hiro.

Reina shrugged, her expression harsh again. "I have my reasons."

Lillian smiled, rising to her feet and following Reina as she led the way back to the kitchen. "Of course you do," she murmured. "Of course."

* * *

When Ash returned carrying a rather ugly old lamp, Lillian and Hiro were struggling to continue a discussion about plants despite the fact that the only two people who had any knowledge of horticulture were deathly silent. The conversation dispensed instantly and they hurriedly set to work. As the pair stood watching the finishing touches a few hours later, Ash put his arm around Lillian's shoulders and then seemed to think better of it and put his hands in his pockets. "How was it while I was gone?" he asked. "How are they doing?"

"Er…it differs for each of them. Cam is really uncomfortable in general. Reina is just nervous that he'll never want to be her friend again."

Ash glanced at the photograph in the hallway, and then they watched from a distance as Reina hammered a nail into the wall for one of Cam's paintings and he began to fold his clothes and tuck them into his dresser. Hiro stood at Reina's side like a bodyguard, his arms folded tight across his chest. "Cam is nervous around her too. He's worried she'll never forgive him and hate him forever. Plus he knows a friendship with her could be an issue with Laney."

"What do you think Laney would think about it?"

"Laney is one of the most understanding people I know. She might be a little uncomfortable about it at times, knowing that Reina had feelings for Cam she had always thought were returned, but I think she'd be okay with it."

Lillian smiled, folding her arms as well. "Laney is pretty nice. I hope I can go back to spending breaks with her soon."

Ash glanced at her and then smiled as well. "Laney is Laney. She couldn't go much longer without forgiving someone. You'll be back to spending breaks with her soon. But…for lunches…what are you going to, er, be doing from now on?"

Lillian looked at him, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Ash looked away, running a hand through his hair. "I mean…uh…you've been hanging out with Dirk and others lately so, I was just wondering-"

"I'll be with you," Lillian interrupted. "I mean, uh, all of you, of course. Like usual."

His nervous expression softened into a grin. "Alright. That's good. I'm going to go help Cam. Maybe you should help Reina. The painting is a little crooked."

Lillian nodded and watched him walk off for a moment before she joined Reina's side, gently tilting the painting towards the left. Reina glanced from Ash to her and asked low enough that even Hiro couldn't hear, "Did something happened between you two?"

"What do you mean?"

"You two used to be…I don't know, a little closer, it seems. Now it's like he's…I dunno…Ash seems down, I guess, and you look so anxious when he's around. Did you confess to him or something?"

"Ah…no…"

Reina looked at her sad expression for a moment and then said, "How about we take a break and go out somewhere? There's an ice cream parlor not too far away. What do you think, Hiro?"

He smiled and nodded. "That's a good idea."

"That's fine with us," Ash replied.

Cam hesitated and nodded. "Sure."

Reina looked towards Lillian and elbowed her in the side. "Will you look a little more cheered up if we go?"

Lillian laughed, but she felt a swarm of gratitude towards Reina. "Yeah. A little."

"Then let's go," Reina told her, catching her and Hiro's arms and pulling them out the door. Ash and Cam were quick to follow.

"Are you two excited about your club doing so well?" Hiro asked Cam and Ash as they walked, glancing sideways towards Reina to see how she reacted to this new conversation. "Are you going to plan another celebration?"

"Maybe," Ash mused. "Georgia is usually the one who comes up with that sort of stuff."

"It would be nice," Cam murmured. "But maybe it would be nice if we did a celebration for both clubs."

Hiro smiled back at him, and Lillian greatly admired the complete lack of frustration he held towards Cam. It was a respectable trait to treat someone who was your friend kindly, but to not resent someone that most people would in your place and to treat _them _kindly was impressive. "It would. We could try to do something that represented the interests of both groups."

"Laney can make her punch again, and she could probably do some sort of plant related cakes. She's really good with decorations."

Cam looked worried after he had said that, glancing nervously towards Reina. She turned to him and smiled. "I can help her, if she'd like. I have a lot of edible plants she can use."

"What do you have?" he asked at Ash's prodding.

"I can show you later."

Cam smiled. "You still have the garden?"

"Yeah. She can use whatever she needs. You can invite her over to see them whenever."

Cam hesitated again and then nodded to her, grinning. "Sure. That sounds good."

Ash and Lillian exchanged a cheerful look, but when she glanced towards Hiro she saw his smile struggling to remain on his face. Happiness for one person always came at the cost of happiness for another. She offered him her best smile when they made eye contact, and decided that it was true - Hiro was a good friend to Reina, through and through.


	25. Pudding

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Hey everyone! First off, I want to thank everyone who was really sweet to me about the work I've had and everyone who wished me well and such. It cheered me up quite a bit! It's incredibly kind of you all. Secondly, this story still has a lot to cover, but some aspects feel almost complete, and that's a huge relief for me, because this story is busy! Hahaha. I try to ensure I'm not leaving anyone out, but just in case – what would you specifically like me to cover next chapter? As long as it's not something huge like DIRK AND LILLIAN KISS or ASH AND LILLIAN KISS hahaha, I'll try to handle it. Like if you want to see Nori or Georgia I'll slip in a scene about them. I want to make sure I'm covering the characters everyone wants to see as much as possible, but sometimes I delay others to bring certain people's problems to the forefront, but I'm at a point where I can stretch the chapters out if there's someone you think is being neglected! Since this story covers sooo many characters, I know I have to overshadow some, and I don't want to overshadow any fan favorites haha. Also, sorry again for the late update. To be honest, I debated heavily on whether or not I should put this story on hiatus, but I decided against it – I have so many loyal readers I don't want to disappoint, so I will continue to get chapters out as often as possible. (: Thank you all for the support that has encouraged me to keep going. With that said, I hope this chapter is enjoyable for all of you, and thank you for the lovely reviews. Have a good rest of the week/weekend, by the way, in case I don't write again too soon~_

* * *

The text message Lillian received Sunday afternoon convinced her to leave the comfort of her bed and the dream she had been clinging to and begin heading west. The traffic on foot and by car was light, and Lillian was still drowsy she went. Her dream had been of a fun high school life, filled with the joy of all of her friends, everyone happy, nothing wrong. It couldn't be a true life, she knew – everything had to have some bit of conflict. But still, she liked thinking about it.

Much to her surprise, it was Cam who opened the door. He leaned against the frame with raised eyebrows and said, "Hey. I didn't know you were coming."

"I wanted to see Reina," Lillian explained hesitantly, unsure whether or not Reina wanted Cam to know that she had pleaded with the brunette via text message to make an appearance.

Cam smiled and shrugged. "Well, sure. Come in, she's in the garden with Laney right now."

"…Oh. Okay! Thanks, Cam."

He closed the door behind her and she stopped to untie her shoes, prying them off and leaving them in the entryway. Laney's purple flats were resting beside Cam's sneakers. Reina's shoes were on the other side of the hall. Lillian put her sandals beside them. "How have things been going?" she asked as he led her towards the backyard.

"A little awkward, but…not too bad," Cam shrugged. "I invited Laney over since Reina seemed okay with it, and they seem to be getting along pretty well…you know, I thought it would be really weird, but Reina has been doing her best to make sure I don't feel uncomfortable. We spend a lot of time taking care of her garden. Her parents are pretty laidback. My room is even bigger than my one at Howard's." He listed the good qualities off readily, nodding as he spoke.

"Sounds good," Lillian told him, smiling up at him.

Cam returned her smile, but then sighed. "I do wish I could keep on living at Howard's though, no matter how good this place is to me…Well, here they are. Reina! Lillian came to see you."

Laney spun in her place, bent down beside Reina to look at a patch of herbs, and looked shocked to see her. Reina looked relieved. "Oh! What a great surprise," she said. "Let's go to my room, you're probably tired from your walk over here."

"Yeah," Lillian said, her voice slightly robotic. "I am…pretty tired."

In truth, she now felt much more awake, and sleeping for so long _had _given her some extra energy. She felt like she could do whatever chores they were taking care of in the garden easily. But she backed into the house again with Reina pushing forward, and followed her down the hall of memories and to her teal room once more.

"What's the matter?" she asked when Reina plopped down onto her bed, looking exhausted.

"I'm doing my best," Reina mumbled. "Really. I told him he could invite Laney, and I researched a lot of edible herbs that would be good to use for cakes. And Laney's been great…she's really nice, and easy to get along with. But…I just feel…so out of place. I want to just…kick her out. Even though there's no reason to. It's so frustrating. I thought maybe if you were here with us, things would be a little less awkward. I…I'm sorry to call you out here, but Nori's grandfather is still sick and I didn't want to make Hiro uncomfortable…"

Lillian sat beside her, offering a reassuring smile. "I'm glad you asked me. I'll do my best, but just so you know, Laney is sort of upset-"

"I know. She told me a little bit about it," Reina admitted with a shrug. Lillian was surprised to hear that Laney had confided her troubles in Reina, but it made sense – the best way to convince someone to feel at ease with you was to confide in them, after all, and the only thing they had in common was Cam and Lillian, and Cam was a little strange to discuss. "She told me what I already knew, though she left a few parts out, and said she is doing her best to move past it."

Lillian sighed, her shoulders slumping forward. Laney was doing her best to forgive the pain that had been inflicted on her, but that didn't make things any easier for Lillian, who hadn't been the one to inflict the pain in the first place. She had readily agreed to take the blame for this situation, but that didn't make it easy to swallow. Why had the Oracle asked Reina to invite Cam to live with her? Lillian had tried to get a hold of her all Saturday to no avail. She had considered calling Dirk for help, but had decided it against it. She wasn't sure how she would even speak to him after everything that had happened.

"I can…tell her the truth, you know," Reina muttered, looking mildly uncomfortable even saying the words. Still, Lillian was shocked that she had offered to do such a thing. Considering how against the idea of confessing the truth to Laney and Cam the girl had been at first, the fact that she now just handing this suggestion over was impressive.

"No," Lillian told her quickly. "It'll be okay. Laney is the type who forgives no matter what. Maybe she's forgiving to a fault."

"Not all good qualities can turn into bad ones," Reina laughed, shaking her head. "But I guess too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, right?"

"Sometimes," Lillian murmured. They listened to Laney laugh outside, and Lillian let herself hope for some sort of reconciliation between the two. But too much of a good thing, she told herself as she glanced sideways as Reina's strained expression, could be a bad thing.

* * *

After a dreadfully awkward day in which Lillian and Reina mostly followed Cam and Laney around the garden while they took notes on particular plants to use in cooking – despite not actually proposing Cam's suggestion of a party for both clubs to the club presidents – Lillian finally headed towards the door.

"I can walk you home," Reina offered, but even as she began to step into her shoes, Laney spoke against it.

"Actually, you don't have to put yourself out, Reina. I can walk Lillian home." Laney smiled at her and slipped into her flats with grace. Everything Laney did tended to be poised and elegant. Her high bun, soft features, modest outfit – clothed in a t shirt and worn sneakers made Lillian feel much like a fool beside her. But of course, it was Laney, and she never capitalized on other's people's flaws. She turned her smile to Lillian, and said, "Is that alright?"

Reina shot a questioning look towards Lillian, but it was Cam the brunette looked to. He nodded encouragingly, giving a shrug as if to say, _Why not?_

"Okay," Lillian said, pulling the knots tight on her shoes and stepping beside her. "Thank you for having me over, Reina. I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Bye!" They said in unison. If it bothered Laney, she did a good job of hiding it.

Laney's flats pitter pattered delicately along the sidewalk as they went. Lillian's sneakers slapped the pavement, only lifting her anxiety. Every moment she panicked. Laney hadn't spoken to her much, and the only sign that she was willing to forgive her was the quick apology after the competition. An apology was just like Laney. She would apologize for being angry. But did that mean she actually _stopped _being angry? If _she_ was in her place and believed what Laney had every right to believe, Lillian knew that she would feel the exact same way.

"Georgia is doing very well as vice president," Laney said. "It was kind of you to give her the position."

"I thought she would be a better fit," Lillian murmured.

"Ash told me on the phone yesterday that some of the students were pressuring you to get Georgia off of the club management position. I think it's really brave of you to offer her a promotion and demote yourself."

Laney's tone was impressed, and she gave Lillian one of her famous kind smiles. "Thank you," Lillian said, wondering what had provoked Ash to call Laney and say such a thing. "I'm glad Georgia is happy with the position."

"I…don't know exactly what to believe."

"What?"

Laney stopped walking, staring at the ground. "I know there was a time when everyone _but _Georgia was in on one of your secrets. I think now is one of those times where everyone but me is in on it. Cam doesn't seem angry at you at all. He seems really comfortable when you're around. If you were really behind all of this…I don't think he'd be so calm, considering he was almost forced back to the City. I don't need you to tell me the whole truth. I just want you to tell me…a piece of it."

Lillian stared at the blonde, dumbfounded by this statement. Laney's hands were clasped together before her waist, and her entire stance was patient. With Laney, it was always empathy. Empathy, not just sympathy. Lillian smiled at this clever conclusion and said, "I played my part in what happened, but I was more of a catalyst than anything else. What happened was just a series of accidents. I…don't want to say more, because I don't want to make anyone else take the blame. Nobody was really at fault for what happened."

"I thought so," Laney whispered. "I trusted you all. I didn't hold back that Cam and I were going out because I didn't trust you. I _swear_, that's not it. I wanted to tell you. I really did! But I was terrified that something like what happened that day would happen. I knew that if someone knew, it was just a slip of the tongue away from becoming known by my father. I…don't want to know about everything that happened. I trust you still. I trust what you're telling me. But…I have to know. Reina…did she have anything to do with this? If it was an accident – whatever part she played – that's okay. But I need to know if she feels vindictively towards me. I'm doing my best to befriend her even though I know she has feelings for Cam. And I know…anyone's feelings for Cam aren't my place anymore. I broke up with him, after all. But knowing that I don't have anything to do with that doesn't mean I don't want to know."

Lillian felt a swell of pity for the miserable looking girl before her. Laney's fingers fumbled nervously with the bottom of her sweater, and her eyes were still downcast. Lillian gently put her hand on the girl's and squeezed it. "Reina doesn't want to come between you and Cam. She knows who his feelings are for. She doesn't want to hurt you at all."

It wasn't exactly answering the question, but the answer was confusing to voice. Reina _had_ been vindictive once, but wasn't now. Reina hadn't necessarily been vindictive towards Laney, but Laney _had_ been a part of her original plan. How was Lillian supposed to explain that? But Laney didn't need an explanation. She nodded and smiled at the sidewalk. "I'm glad," she whispered. "I'm…I'm really…really relieved…"

Tears struck the sidewalk where she looked, and Lillian's eyes widened. "Laney…what's wrong?"

Laney hesitated, taking a deep breath. It didn't seem like she would answer, but she finally said in a small voice, "I don't want to hurt Cam." She crouched down, burying her face in her arms, right there on the sidewalk. Lillian knelt down with her so she could still hear her, her hands on the girl's arms. "I didn't want to break up with him," Laney continued, her voice shaking. "But…it's just me and my dad. I completely betrayed him and lied to him all this time…and I'm all he has left. That night, after you all went home, my dad just…cried. He cried because I didn't confide in him and I lied to him for so long. It broke his heart. I couldn't…"

Her words subsided, replaced with sobs. The poise Laney so often carried had vanished, and the broken girl before Lillian did not look anything like the elegant one she was used to. She leaned forward and hugged the girl, murmuring gentle, reassuring comments to her, but nothing she said seemed to halt the tears.

"Can I tell you a secret, Lillian?" Laney asked after a few moments, her voice hoarse.

"Yeah, of course. What is it?"

"I told you that I hated the clubs and wanted them to end, but then I said that I needed to win. I needed to win so much, I haven't been doing my job…I've been lying. And it's because…my mom is in the city, Lillian. I found the _one _letter she sent to dad a while ago, saying that she was leaving us and she would be there. I don't blame my dad for hiding the letter, and I don't want him to know that I know he did. But…I need Bluebell to win this club competition so I can find her myself while we're there. Then…I can tell her what she did to us. I don't know how much it can change things, but if I can get her to talk to dad…to _apologize_…it would mean the world to him. I want dad to know that _he's _the number one guy in my life. So for now…I can't be with Cam. Even if I want to."

Lillian looked at Laney for a moment as she lifted her tear stricken face to see how the brunette would react to her words, and then she hugged her tighter. "Okay," she said. "We'll win. And until then, I know Cam will wait for you."

"Really?" Laney whispered.

"Really."

Laney laughed for a moment, strained with tears. "Okay," she said. "I'll trust you."

Laney trusting her to keep her secret as a secret, Cam counting on her to patch up things between him and his ex-girlfriend. Lillian held Laney as she waited for her tears to subside and sighed silently to herself. When would she learn to stop making promises to her friends that she wasn't sure she could keep?

* * *

The next day Lillian parted from Ash the moment they reached the school. "I have to find the Oracle," she said. "Maybe you can talk to Cam and see how things are going."

"Sure," he replied. She had already filled him in on the parts of her conversation with Laney that were not secrets, and he had celebrated with her. Still, she saw what Reina had seen – the awkwardness in their interactions. Lillian felt frustration rising up in her. She was not like Dirk, able to say sweet things with a straight, unashamed face, but she had done her best to give Ash every sign that her feelings for him were not simply friendly. Did he truly believe that he was inferior to Dirk, that Lillian's feelings for their old friend have grown so rapidly? Guilt struck her at this thought, and she looked over her shoulder as she walked away and met his eyes, which had followed her, with a blush. He looked away and started walking towards Cam's usual spot, and Lillian persevered.

She wasn't sure if the Oracle had a particular "spot" like so many others did. She seemed to pop out of nowhere and surprise her constantly. It was impossible to truly guess where she was – but it was possible to guess where Dirk was, and _he_ always knew where the Oracle was. Lillian met him near his first class, and he looked at her in surprise.

"Where's Ash?"

"He went to hang out with Cam."

"What…did you come find me for?" he asked. His cheeks were tinged slightly with red, and Lillian's were as well. She wished that he wouldn't look at her with such an earnest expression, because then she couldn't help but return it.

"Do you know where the Oracle is?"

Dirk's expression hardened as he stood up straight, closing the book he had been holding. "I'm guessing she's with Reina, trying to figure out how things went over the weekend."

"Oh…" Lillian turned to walk away and then hesitated. "What are you reading?"

Dirk smiled. "It's a book about music. The Oracle has been listening to a lot of violin music lately, so I thought that I would try to research it so I could answer all the questions she's constantly asking me. I have to keep up the pretense that I'm all-knowing, after all."

Lillian smiled back at him and held her hand out for the book, flipping through the pages when he gave it to her. "Mikhail plays the violin," Lillian murmured. "Maybe the Oracle should go listen to him play if she's so interested."

"Take us to his next performance," Dirk suggested.

"Okay. I'll ask him when it is and…we can all go together."

Dirk's fingers brushed against hers when he took the book back, and he tilted his head to the side. "Something bothering you? You look a little off today."  
She thought of the Oracle trying to gently explain Dirk's feelings to her and felt a wave of embarrassment. She did her best to continue this charade of ignorance, but it was difficult. When Dirk was looking at her like that, everything was a little more difficult. "No, I've just got a lot on my mind, with Reina and Cam and Laney and all of that…"

Dirk tapped the spot between her furrowed eyebrows and offered up a reassuring smile. "Don't look so down. Things will be just fine. They've got Detective Lillian on their case."

"Don't call me that!" she protested, but she was laughing as she said it. "I…I better head off to see the Oracle."

He shrugged, but his eyes were glued upon her. He did not miss a single action. She constantly felt nervous around Dirk, and she thought that perhaps it was because he always watched her like this – like he was waiting for something. She lifted her hand to her bangs and his eyes followed, and she embarrassedly brought it back down. "I'll see you in class today, Dirk."

"…Yeah. Bye." He smiled at her, but even he seemed to sense that something had shifted. You could pretend you didn't realize someone's feelings your entire life, but the moment you knew someone else had realized them, you were obligated to do the same. That's what drove Lillian to flee down the halls with such an embarrassed, confused frown on her face.

* * *

It was only two minutes until class started that Lillian managed to find the Oracle, who had _not _been with Reina, but had told Nori that she would be heading towards the back of the school. It took Lillian some time to extricate herself from the small talk among club members who were no longer wary of speaking to her with her new lack of power, but she finally found the Oracle leaning against a wall – with Mikhail beside her, holding the violin delicately in his hands. He wasn't playing it, but _pretending _to play it. Lillian wasn't sure what caused her to hesitate, but she did.

"I can almost hear it," the Oracle mused, her eyes half closed. "I can't wait until I can learn how to play the violin too."

"It'll take a while, but I think you'll get the hang of it," Mikhail told her. "I'll do my best to help you."

The Oracle nodded excitedly, clapping her hands together and saying, "Show me again, please!"

Lillian watched for another moment as Mikhail pretended to play the violin, and then she backed up until she was no longer watching them. For some reason, she suddenly felt that she had seen something she shouldn't have.

* * *

During homeroom, Lillian returned to sitting between Laney and Cam. They carried on an amiable enough conversation, but she could feel the awkwardness in it – Cam's fears and Laney's hesitation. She wondered if they had ever actually talked about the break up. What did Cam even know or think of it? She looked between them and struggled to keep up with their conversation, often falling into thought instead. It was a surprise when Laney told her at break, "Ready to go meet up with Cam?"

"Huh?"

She exchanged a teasing look with Mikhail, who smiled at the confused expression on Lillian's face. "I was just talking about it for the _second _time with Mikhail!" Laney laughed. "Me, you and Cam agreed to ask Georgia what she thought about a party for both clubs, remember?"

"Oh…right, of course…are you coming with us Mikhail?"

"He has to see Principal Rutger, right?" Laney asked, head tilted to the side.

Mikhail shook his head and a mildly embarrassed expression came onto his face. "Er…actually…I'm not going to talk to Principal Rutger, but I am teaching someone how to play the piano right now."

Laney clapped her hands together, an excited look on her face. "Really? That's great. You can tell Georgia and Ash about our plans for the party during the club meeting."

He seemed pleased to have received a compliment _and_ an inclusion – he beamed as he agreed, said goodbye, and exited the classroom. Lillian thought about when she had first met him, and he sat at the end of the table barely being mentioned in conversation. Now he was a full-fledged club officer being included in important manners. She had to admit that he too was a better fit for a club position than she was.

"Let's go," Laney told her. She wore a smile that could not be wiped from her cheeks no matter what, but it seemed a little forced now. Lillian returned that smile and decided to do her best to make it a little more natural.

"I'm worried about what she'll say," Cam mumbled as they went, having met them on their way to Georgia's class.

Laney and Lillian exchanged a nervous look. "I'm sure she'll be alright with the idea…" Lillian murmured. "Ash will definitely approve it, at least."

Cam laughed and nodded, but he looked worried still. "That's true. We don't need to think that our plan will be turned down as long as he outranks her."

Georgia was speaking with Kana – though speaking was a bit of an overstatement – when they found her. She was rolling her eyes at whatever he was saying, but he still had a smile on his face. Lillian considered suggesting that they turn around and come to talk to her later, but Laney and Cam had no clue that Kana and Georgia were each doing their best to put the past behind them, and so approached them even faster.

"Can we talk to you for a bit?" Laney asked Georgia. Lillian offered Kana an apologetic shrug, but he just smiled and shook his head.

Georgia shrugged. "'Course. What's the matter?"

"It's about Bluebell."

"On that note, I'll head off," Kana declared. Cam and Laney smiled at his words, but Georgia just shrugged and turned away, acting completely uninterested. Still, she was the first to say, "Well, I guess I'll see you around sooner or later."

Kana and Lillian exchanged a smile. A goodbye from Georgia was an incredible step up from the usual screaming at him to stay away from her. "I'll see you in class," Lillian told him.

"Yep! See you guys." He strolled down the hall, whistling cheerfully to himself as he went. Georgia watched him go for a moment before turning back to them and saying, "So, what's the matter? Should we go get Ash and Mikhail?"

"Er, no, we just wanted to run something by you first," Laney admitted, her voice small and a little frightened. Cam brushed his arm against her in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture, but it surprised her so much that she moved away, and he did the same. Lillian wondered if they would ever be able to go back to their causal closeness, and hoped that they did.

Georgia looked a little worried now. "What is it?" she asked, her voice quick. "Am I doing something wrong?"

"No!" Lillian answered hurriedly, shaking her head. "You're doing a fantastic job. Everyone is really impressed. It's just an idea that we had that we wanted to share with you."

"Oh." Georgia looked against the wall, looking very relieved. "Sure, shoot."

The three exchanged a look and then Laney and Lillian looked at Cam, who visibly paled, but was outnumbered. He cleared his throat and said, "We wanted to have a party – at first just to celebrate how we were pulling ahead, and since the winter holidays are going to come in just a couple more weeks we thought why not…but then we thought it would be more fun if we threw a party for Bluebell _and _Konohana so-"

"No!" Georgia interrupted, looking horrified. "The entire point of the clubs is to win, not make friends. I know that we all have people on the Konohana team we like, but those friendships need to be separate from club matters. There's no way we're throwing a party for both of them. Didn't the last Bluebell/Konohana mixer go pretty bad?"

Cam and Laney both winced, and Lillian said, "It won't be like that! We just want to assert that even though winning is important to each of us, that doesn't have to mean we treat each other poorly and-"

"Lillian, you of all people should know how important this is to me," Georgia snapped. "I want a trophy that we _won_. If you guys are going to try and pull so much Konohana/Bluebell bonding, soon both presidents are going to get some participation trophy. Nobody wants a participation trophy. Trophies are for winners."

"Trophy?" Laney asked. "I'm…a little confused."

Lillian didn't address Laney's question, and instead focused on rebutting Georgia's words. "We want to win, but winning doesn't have to mean that we put beating other people before having fun! It's just a suggestion for club unity, not…club synonymy, or something."

Georgia folded her arms, her eyes narrowed. "I get that. I get that you all want to 'have fun with your friends,'" she said, adding air quotes and a fake, peppy voice to her words, "but we're in a competition. There's no need to mix competition with friends. You three can override me and go to Ash for this, but as his club vice president, there's no way I'm going to stand for this. This is a contest, not a game. I'm taking this seriously. What about you guys?"

With that she stamped off, her arms still folded tight across her chest, her knapsack thumping against her back as she went. Cam and Laney exchanged a look, and Laney asked again, "What trophy is she talking about? Do we get a trophy if we win?"

"I hope so," Lillian mumbled, leaning against the wall in Georgia's place, stifling her frustration and annoyance. "If we don't, Georgia is going to be three times as angry."

* * *

Their first lunch together in a while went well – Laney, Cam and Lillian did not mention the club issue again, having agreed to wait it out and hope that somehow Georgia overcame her prejudice against Konohana on her own, and everyone worked hard to get along. Laney and Cam now sat in opposite chairs, with Cam and Ash on one side of the table and Georgia and Laney on the other, but they were so friendly towards each other it was impossible to tell that they had ever been a couple or ever broken up. Lillian and Mikhail each sat at the heads of the table, laughing with their friends, both simply glad to be there.

Still, Ash saw through this. "What's wrong?" he murmured quietly as Mikhail told Laney the details of his next recital and Cam and Georgia haggled for fair exchanges of their treats. The question went unheard by everyone, and Lillian looked at him, both nervous and pleased that he had noticed she was troubled.

"I'm just…worried about how a lot of things are going to be working out," she admitted. "And a little confused."

"It's going to be fine," Ash told her, offering up a smile. He took the pudding he had bought and set it down in front of Lillian. "Cheer up."

"Pudding is supposed to cheer me up?" she asked. She was smiling as she said it, though.

"When we were in sixth grade, my class was right by the cafeteria, but yours was across the campus, remember? So by the time you got in the cafeteria and got through the lunch line, all the pudding was gone. But since I was one of the first people there, I always saved mine for you, and it cheered you up. You got here a little late, but it's alright. I already got what you wanted for you." He finished with a teasing voice, but his eyes were serious when he looked at her.

Lillian smiled at this story and pried open the top of the pudding tin, dipping her spork in. "Thanks," she murmured. "Thanks for saving it for me all those times."

"What are friends for?" Ash answered, laughing when he leaned back in his seat.

Lillian grimaced and nodded. "Yeah…friends. Hey, Ash?"

"Hmm?"

"Why…did you call Laney on Saturday and tell her about-"

"Don't worry about it," he interrupted, pushing the hand that held her pudding-filled spork into her mouth with a grin. She laughed embarrassedly as she swallowed it and wiped her face clean, but he just smiled at her. "You and Laney are fine again, right?"

"Yeah. We're good."

"That's all I wanted," he told her. He looked away, messing with his hair, looking a little shy all of a sudden. "I always go on about how I want you to rely on me and I want to be a person you can rely on. So…don't question why I do these kinds of things. I'm still working on the reliable stuff."

Lillian took another bite of pudding, her smile stretched wide as she ate. "Okay," she answered. "…Thanks, Ash."

"Forget about it," he told her, chuckling. "Just eat your pudding and cheer up for me."

Lillian nodded and they joined in with Cam and Georgia's disagreement over whether or not her breadstick was worth his cookie, laughing at Cam's protest. Still, her smile lingered throughout the conversation no matter how pointless it became, and as she walked to class.

* * *

"Oh, hello Lillian!"

"What are you up to?"

The Oracle raised a confused eyebrow. "Huh? I just said hello. I know I tend to have some strange motives, but greeting you is pretty self-explanatory, isn't it?"

"No, not that!" Lillian shook her head quickly, dropping into her chair. Dirk and Kana were still not there, for which Lillian was grateful. "I mean…you told Reina to ask Cam to move in with her. Why did you do that?"

The Oracle hesitated, looking away. "I make deals with people, Lillian. In exchange for information, I do what someone asks me too. Someone asked me to do that. That's it. I didn't have any intention of hurting Laney or Cam, honest. I'm still trying to make up for what I did to them…"

Her face was strained with guilt that seemed alien to her usually cheerful expression. "I…I didn't think you did want to hurt them," Lillian admitted gently. "I was just…confused. Can you…tell me who asked?"

"I keep all of my exchanges secret," the Oracle replied, turning away pointedly.

"Oh…"

"But…" the Oracle turned back, looking nervous. "I don't want to do this…I don't want to break someone's trust. But because it interfered with you and your friends, I'm going to tell you anyways. Mostly, though, I'm telling you because…you're my best friend."

Lillian hesitated and then smiled. She briefly considered turning down this offer, but decided to accept it. Someone was possibly still fiddling with Cam and Laney's relationship, and Lillian wanted to know who it was. In fact, they weren't only hurting those two friends of hers now – they were hurting Reina, too. "Thank you. Really," she murmured.

The Oracle shook her head. "Don't thank me. I'm the one who caused all of this in the first place."

"Nobody blames you for what happened," Lillian said. "Really. It wasn't good that it happened, but it didn't ruin the world either. People make mistakes all the time. That's no reason to hold them against someone.

The Oracle smiled, but still looked sad. "If only everyone thought the same way as you, Lillian," she mumbled. "Then, I wouldn't hate this place so much."

"Huh? What do you-"

"I hate this school, and I hate this town." The Oracle's eyes were distant – much too far for Lillian to reach. There was no attracting the girl's attention at that moment. She was watching everything from some place far away so she didn't have to be there. "I can't wait to go the city."

"But…the trip to the city is only for a day, isn't it?"

The Oracle didn't say anything more about that. She said, "Hiro. Hiro asked me to ask Reina to offer her home up to Cam. In exchange for that, I asked him some questions about Nori."

Lillian caught her breath with one sudden gasp of air. "He _what_? Why would he do that? He-"

"He likes Reina," the Oracle murmured. "I know. That's obvious. But…he wants her to be happy overall. I don't know if he wants her and Cam to go out, or just be friends, but he begged me to propose it to her. He said she wouldn't listen to him if he asked, but she would listen to me. I didn't want to do it, Lillian, but…it was really important to him. So I decided to take him up on it."

Lillian covered her mouth, leaning against her arms like a cushion that held in her surprised words. Hiro, who had looked so miserable all Saturday, was the culprit of his own misery? She shook her head, stunned, and found she was suddenly very unwilling to say any more about him. Hiro had claimed to be selfish, but this was not something a selfish person would have done. Is that what had coaxed him to do it – to be a person he could be proud of, just like Lillian wanted to be a person she could be proud of?"

"W…why did you want information on Nori?" Lillian asked instead, embarrassed about the stammering of her words. "I don't get it…"

The Oracle didn't question the switch from talking about Hiro to Nori. She looked away and muttered, "Do you realize that Bluebell has 32 points and Konohana has 20? That's a pretty big discrepancy, isn't it? I'm trying to find out who the buzzer on my team is."

"You think it's Nori?" Lillian questioned, stunned.

"Not anymore. She has a reason she needs to go the city. A reason she's willing to throw morals out the window for. If she was the buzzer, we wouldn't be docked points. I suspected her because she's usually so honest she would be willing to take points away from us because it was the right thing to do, but…no. Dead end."

"Why does Nori need to go the city so much?" Lillian asked. She thought of Laney's reason, and she recalled Reina's words about Nori's abandonment by her father. Could it really be so similar…?

"Her grandfather is getting sicker every day," the Oracle noted. "Wouldn't it be nice if he got to see his prodigal son before he got even sicker?"

Lillian cupped her hands over her mouth again. Nori, always so sweet and gentle and never hurtful in the slightest…left behind by her father and nursing her ailing grandfather without a single complaint. "It would be nice," she murmured.

It _would_. But only one side could go to the city – either Laney got to find her mother and demand an apology for the father who had been forced to be a mother as well, or Nori got to find her father and beg him to visit his grandfather one last time. Either Georgia got to take that trophy to the president, or Reina would get a scholarship. Cam had once said that everyone had their reasons they wanted to win. Lillian was seeing now that there could be two reasons – a personal one, or one based on friends. It could be your reason or it could be the reasons of the club members you loved. She wanted to win for them, but she also wanted to help Konohana win for her friends in that club.

"It _would_ be nice," Lillian repeated. "It really would."

Dirk and Kana entered the room, and the Oracle turned to face forward in her seat. The boys tried to talk to them, but each were wrapped up in their own concerns – wrapped up so tightly that the other's melancholy expression went unnoticed.


	26. Birthday Party

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Hello everyone! Thanks for waiting patiently, and thank you as always for the kindnesses you've all shown me in regards to this story. I'm excited about the direction it's taking. When Lillian first arrived at Harvest High, obviously she stirred up a lot of trouble, but now that the first semester is almost over, a lot of those things are steadily being patched up, so it's really exciting to move in towards the second semester (which will be coming in just a couple more chapters) and shift focus to the actual club dynamics. Things will start picking up, but I will do my best to keep as many character interactions available for you all to see without this story taking another like five months hahaha. I do plan for it to be over by next year! :P About the requests thing – I was psyched people wanted to see Ash! He's one of my favorites to write about. Also, a lot of people mentioned Nori and Mikhail seemed a bit like side characters (and I know Kana does too at times!) and I wanted to apologize for that. I want to do my best to include EVERY character a lot, but unfortunately this cast of characters is so large it's hard to keep everyone vastly involved, though I'll do my best to ensure everyone remains relevant to the plot. (: I love all of these characters dearly, and I don't want to shut one out. I'm glad you all seem to appreciate how things are working, and please know I'm always up for requests of any kind (as long as they don't change the story completely? Ahaha) and I also take requests for other stories (right now I'm planning out a Hiro/Lillian story to write once this and Daffodil is over just because I feel he doesn't get enough attention :P). Besides that, I want to thank all of the reviewers again. I love reading everyone's thoughts and seeing what you like, so thanks for that! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

"I'm beginning to like your party idea," Georgia declared, hopping excitedly from one foot to the other, unable to stand still for even a second.

Lillian and Laney both leaned forward, eager to hear an explanation for this sudden change. "Really?" they asked together.

"Yeah – well, the Bluebell part. Because we need to celebrate the fact that we are _dominating_!" Georgia's fist jabbed in the air – her trademark pose of 'domination' – and Laney and Lillian groaned. Their club was celebrating another victory. Not only had they won in this club competition– a "Rutger Says" game that Ina mumbled was poorly put together – but Konohana had been docked another three points. Lillian glanced across the auditorium at the Oracle and Dirk, who were both leaning against the stage, staring at their members. Still trying to find out who the buzzer was.

A finger tapped Lillian's right shoulder, but when she turned to see the culprit, it was her left side that became warm. Ash was brushing up against her, but his eyes were focused on Georgia. "What are you talking about, 'Bluebell part?'"

"Oh, right," Cam murmured from his spot of despondence, which he of course shared with Laney and Lillian, considering he was the one who had initially proposed the idea of a party for both clubs. "Sorry we haven't told you yet, but we're still trying to get the idea past Georgia."

"They want to have some party for Bluebell _and _Konohana," Georgia mumbled, rolling her eyes. "And I said no."

Ash glanced at Lillian, who was sighing with Laney at these words. "Huh. Well, you'll have to give it a little more consideration."

Georgia did not miss a beat. Her eyes followed Ash's to Lillian and she crossed her arms. "We all know because Lillian wants it – and Cam and Laney and Mikhail – you're going to agree with it. I already know that. I'm just saying that _I'm _not okay with it."

Lillian thought of Georgia's feelings for Ash and winced. These comments made a lot more sense now that she understood Georgia's crush. Still…she had hoped those feelings would transfer to Kana – but perhaps that was just wishful thinking. Lillian knew that she should be grateful simply that _those_ two were acting generally civil to each other now. Asking for anymore was pushing it.

"That's exactly right," Ash countered. "I'll agree with it if she agrees with it. _She_ was my first vice president, after all."

Georgia's expression hardened, and Laney caught her shoulder. "Let's go make sure we didn't have any points docked by the buzzer!" Laney declared. Georgia knew that _Laney_ knew fully well whether or not points were being deducted, but followed her off anyways, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she went with one last contemptuous look at Ash. When she glanced at Lillian, however, her eyes were not angry. Just sad. Lillian felt that maybe they had moved past the feeling of frustration towards the other for their respective feelings. Unfortunately, for Georgia, another feeling had to take that place.

"Good one," Cam muttered sarcastically. "As if she wasn't angry enough."

Ash hung his hands in his pockets, a sour look on his face. "Well, whatever. She just has to deal with it. She's not the president, anyways. I am."

Lillian couldn't recall ever hearing Ash actually admit to holding any power before. Cam exchanged a look with her – a very pointed one. "I'm going to go help Laney get Georgia calm. If we actually were docked points, she might destroy the school."

"That's a good possibility," Lillian replied.

He smiled and lifted his hand. "I'll see you two next week then, unless something pops up. Have a good weekend."

They both bid him their farewells and then Lillian turned to face Ash, though he didn't look at her exactly. He kept his hands in his pockets, glaring at the floor. "It frustrates me when she snaps at you like that, or tries to make those underhanded comments. I get that when it comes to clubs, she's sensitive. It just annoys me that she realizes that when it comes to y-…well, then _I _am the sensitive one."

He kicked at the floor and sighed. Lillian shook her head, the corners of her mouth tilted slightly upwards. "It's alright. I don't mind too much when Georgia says things like that. I agreed to do everything I could to help her…so I know that she feels like I'm betraying her right now. It's not that I want to hurt her, or that I want our club to become one with Konohana-"

"I thought that _was_ what you wanted," Ash pointed out, his voice partly teasing.

Lillian's cheeks colored, and she shrugged. "I'm not so sure anymore."

"Hmm…" he turned and looked up at the fluorescent lights hanging overhead. They had watched the janitor replace them moments before the clubs filed into the auditorium. They now seemed unbearably bright. "Can I walk you home today? Then you can tell me all about this."

Lillian smiled and lifted a hand to her bangs, fingertips brushing against her cheekbone. "Yeah, of course. I just…uh…I'll be right back, okay? I've been trying to talk to someone this whole week, but they kept managing to avoid me…it'll only take a few minutes."

Ash glanced over her shoulder towards the Konohana group and nodded after a moment's hesitation. "Yeah. Of course. Go ahead. I'll be waiting outside for you, alright?"

"Okay," she nodded, grinning. "Thanks…thank you for offering to walk me home, and everything, I mean. It's really nice."

He smiled at her for a moment before looking away, shrugging. "We always walk home together. I've just been busy lately, and so have you. But let's go back to walking home together every day, just like we've been going back to walking _to_ school together every day…okay?"

"Okay," she repeated. They smiled at each other for several seconds before Ash gathered their things and headed towards the door. Lillian, in turn, headed towards Hiro.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, his voice cheerful when she tapped his shoulder. He had been reading through a book about gardening, it seemed. He noticed her looking and said, "Reina has been talking about plants a lot more than usual lately…so I thought I would read up on them a bit more so I could converse with her about them."

"That's great," Lillian told him. She had to admire his kindness towards Reina, though she wasn't sure if what he had asked the Oracle to do could be considered kindness.

The polite expression on his face caught. "What's the matter?" he asked. "You look so serious."

Lillian hesitated and then caught his wrist, pulling him several feet away from the group. "I…I hope you're not mad at her for telling me, but-"

Hiro promptly closed his book, sighing. "I honestly half-expected the Oracle to tell you. She used to be very good at the secret business, but now that she's so close with so many people…it's not as reliable. But you _can_ depend on her to do what you ask, at the least, no matter what she thinks about it. That's why it had to be her that I asked."

Lillian looked at him – studied him – for a moment. There was no regret in his eyes, and she wasn't sure whether or not she should be troubled by that. "Reina hasn't been very comfortable with Cam since you asked the Oracle to convince her to let him move in. Don't you think that maybe you forced her into an awkward situation with Cam – and a painful one?"

"No. I think it's the best thing that could have happened for her, honestly," Hiro murmured, his voice soft. He gestured towards his left, where Georgia was taking her anger out on a smiling Kana and Reina, Cam and Laney were talking. "You would think those three would be uncomfortable…but they've been getting along really well. They have a lot in common, after all, and now they have a lot at stake. I know Reina better than anyone else. I knew that, if given the chance, she could overcome the initial discomfort of living with Cam and grow from the experience. Maybe it's hard for her to see Laney and Cam together sometimes, but…she's had an empty guest room for years, and she's had feelings of regret about her ruined friendship with Cam. I didn't want to let things continue as is. Lillian…sometimes _you_ do drastic things to make the people around you happy. You gave Georgia the position of vice president. It made Ash unhappy, but you knew it was the best thing for Georgia. Sometimes you have to weigh happiness like that. It might have been weird for those three at first, but now they're learning to handle their past and grow from it and build real relationships."

"But…" Lillian hesitated, feeling a strange anxiety rise in her. She had known that her choices had often relied on Cam's suggestion that the ends justified the means. Lying to people, omitting important details from people…it hurt them, but in the end, it would help them. But Reina was being forced to watch the boy she loved continue to pine after someone else, and Hiro hadn't quite justified that pain enough to her just yet. "Do you…want them to get together, or something?"

Hiro looked genuinely hurt by these words. "Do you really think I do? Of course I don't want them to be together. I have faith in Cam's feelings for Laney. I don't believe that they are so faint they will be erased by living in the same house as Reina." He shook his head and looked towards the door for a moment. Lillian looked too and saw Ash leaning against the doorway, waiting. "Lillian," Hiro began, catching her attention once more. "Forgive me, but Reina told me a bit about the awkwardness between you and Ash right now. Whatever caused that…would you really be able to look back at your high school years proudly knowing that you didn't fix it? Because I don't think Reina could look back at her high school years with a smile on her face if she thought that she and Cam had never patched up their friendship. Of course, the relationship between you two and those two are different, but…do you understand what I'm saying? Reina's friendship with Cam has caused her pain throughout high school. I want that pain to be erased by happy memories so she can graduate happily."

"And you don't think…anything will go wrong?" Lillian asked. Her hands were curled into fists at her side – fists provoked by nervousness, and embarrassment at having her situation with Ash being pointed out by Hiro, let alone talked about. She suddenly felt that she understood Georgia's request not to discuss her issues with someone else. Knowing that people were talking about her made her feel very uncomfortable.

"No," Hiro said, shaking his head. "I think Cam will stay true to Laney no matter what, and there will be no chance of a relationship between the two of them. All you have to do is look at them to know that. And I think that Reina will grow from her new bond with Laney and will be able to move on. That is honestly what I think, Lillian. I would not lie to you."

They looked at each other for a moment, and then Lillian nodded. "I see," she murmured. "I understand. If you think this is for the best…you know Reina more than I do. But I'm afraid she'll have her heart broken all over again."

"Being close with someone always puts you at risk of a heartbreak," Hiro said. "But you'd be in more pain if you never knew what was going to happen – be it friendship-wise or more – between you and another person and had to deal with that pain of not knowing for the rest of your life."

"You really think…that Reina would be hindered if she was never able to settle these feelings she has for Cam, and how much she misses their friendship? Even…years from now?"

"It was her first heartbreak," Hiro replied. He folded his arms across his chest, hugging his book. Throughout their conversation, and especially now, Lillian couldn't help but look at Hiro in a new way. The kindness and cheerfulness she had begun to realize were forced now seemed even more impossibly fake. He was hurt, and sad, and frustrated. "You can never forget your first heartbreak…but when you settle those feelings, it's a huge relief…"

"Have _you_ settled your feelings?" Lillian asked, noticing the change in his demeanor as he looked past her, through her, at something she could not see even if she had turned around to look.

Hiro smiled at Lillian. "I confessed to Reina two weeks ago."

"What?! She didn't tell me anything about that!"

"Reina isn't one to gossip much," Hiro murmured. The look on his face was incredibly sad, but he held to his smile. "It hurt, of course, but I already knew that I was going to be turned down. And now I can work on resolving those feelings. I can't tell you how…how much of a relief it was to stop hiding it from her. It was obvious, we both knew it, but it was this…secret between us that made things so difficult. Things are out in the open now. I know perfectly well that it gets better – everything that comes with being dejected improves – once you acknowledge those feelings and work to move past them."

Lillian stared at Hiro, looking for any hint that he didn't believe these words. She felt that as believable as they were, it was impossible – the pain of being turned down didn't seem like it could be so easily eclipsed by working to move past it. But still…she looked at the Oracle, who had been getting better and better since her feelings had been dashed open for people to see. And she, Dirk, and Ash were suffering with their secrets. "I think I understand," Lillian murmured. "But I still…I don't know if I can say I agree with you on everything yet. I don't know…I just don't know."

Hiro smiled and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm being selfish in believing that my words apply to everyone, but I always thought that – despite the initial awkwardness of a secret being revealed – putting something out in the open is the first step towards dealing with it…otherwise you're just suffering from it, I think. I'm going to go walk home with Dirk today. I…I am sorry for not telling you all of these things earlier, Lillian."

"It's okay. I…I understand."

They smiled at each other briefly, and then he walked off, joining Dirk and the Oracle's side. Both looked from where he had come from to see Lillian walking towards the door, a frown on her face. Dirk moved to go after her, but Hiro caught his arm and gestured to Ash, and the boy in the maroon coat pulled up short and stared after her with a frustrated expression, though he did not move another step further.

* * *

"Is something up with Hiro?" Ash asked when they stepped outside. He watched her carefully, but did not take her hand as he once would have. The leaves were decaying now rather than simply changing colors and falling to the floor. Winter holidays were fast on their heels, and it felt that way, too. Ash's coat had been left behind at her house this morning in her hurry to meet its owner on time, and so Lillian did her best to pretend she didn't feel the cold.

"We were just talking about Reina," Lillian answered. She didn't want to lie to Ash, and hoped this was close enough to the truth. Hiro's feelings were obvious to many, though Lillian had not realized it was so, but she hardly wanted to broadcast them to the school.

Ash nodded. "Cam seems to be getting better with the whole situation. He, Reina and Laney are getting along well. A little weird, maybe, but not too bad, I think. At least they won't always think of each other as a friend they can't really call a friend anymore."

Lillian smiled and nodded. When Ash said it, she could believe it a little more, for some reason. Hiro's feelings were too wound up in this situation – his statements worried her. She was worried for his sake and Reina's. But Ash's were more objective – or perhaps they weren't objective, for didn't he think of Dirk as a friend he couldn't really call a friend anymore? She considered asking that, but thought against it. She didn't want her walk home with Ash to turn sour with a mention of Dirk.

After a few more moments of random discussion about the tidbits of Reina and Cam's lives they had learned – like that Cam was teaching Reina how to make flower arrangements, and Reina was splitting her chores in half with Cam – Ash said, "So, tell me about the change from wanting to unite Konohana and Bluebell to wanting to bond them together but _not _unite them?"

His words weren't harsh, but they were confused, and Lillian could understand that. She shrugged a little, embarrassed that her opinion had changed so drastically, and mumbled, "I want our club to win, of course, but I still want them to be friends. I guess…I want both clubs to win so all of my friends can get their wish at the city, but I did make a promise to help _Bluebell_ win…I just can't say that I want to unite them anymore, unless they _both _got to go to the city. Everyone has their reasons for going, and I don't want to make us into one giant club…not if it takes away from one side winning. But both sides have such good reasons!"

Ash laughed despite Lillian's confusing words, and laughed even harder when she made a wide gesture of exasperation. "I understand," he told her, his voice gentle. "Your friends on both sides need to go to the city, but if the clubs are united – well, the reason given is that we don't have enough money for both clubs to win, right? But I always thought that you thought the principals were just bluffing about that."

"I did, but…now I'm not so sure. I don't think Principal Rutger wants us to fight, but I also don't think he wants us…to become one big club. I think that back when he was a child, he wanted Bluebell and Konohana the _towns _to get along, but he didn't want them to become one big town, or anything. I think he really does only have enough money to send one side out, or he would give both clubs the same benefits. I used to think that he wanted our sides to realize that we needed to come together, but I think now that he wouldn't let so many years go by like that – I think he's doing the best he can to give them an opportunity to bond, but he just can't give them _equal_ opportunity."

Ash watched the expression of frustration drag down her face, leaving a grimace on her lips as she kicked the dead leaves that had already been stepped on so many times they had broken off into frayed shards. He lifted his hand, let it fall back to his side, and then lifted it again and set his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a brief hug. "Don't worry about it too much right now. We have a little bit of time left in this semester _and_ next semester to worry…so for now let's just get the clubs to be friends, alright? Then we can try to think of something to do to make sure everyone can do what they need to do in the city."

Lillian looked at him in surprise and then smiled. "When you say it, I really do believe it," she told him, her voice small and a little embarrassed.

He blushed and then grinned. "Maybe that will convince you to tell me more about what's going on. I'll do my best to help you."

He looked like he was ready to move his arm, but Lillian rested her head on his shoulder for a second and then nodded, her cheeks a little flushed, though the cold wind was fierce that afternoon, and that was her excuse if anyone asked. "Yeah…you're right," she said. "Thank you, Ash."

She thought of Hiro's words, about the drawbacks of holding a secret within you, and how all you did was suffer even though so many people were aware of what you were hiding. All because you were too afraid to speak out. She looked at Ash and smiled when he smiled at her. Today…it wasn't the right time. She wasn't sure when she would be able to talk to him – to explain that what had happened previously was not her rejecting him, to explain her mixed feelings, to explain her confusion, and to tell him that there was only one person whose side she could not imagine being by, and that was the person's side she was at that very moment.

But it would come, she thought. A day would come when she could no longer hold in those words, and she would be brave and she would grow from them. They continued walking with his arm around her shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world, both blushing, making conversation about everything that came to their minds, and for that afternoon only good things came to their minds.

* * *

At school on Monday, Lillian walked into her last block of the day to find that – much to her surprise – Dirk was there, but Kana and the Oracle were not. Every once in a while she saw Dirk in the classroom by himself, but that was because _she_ was with the Oracle. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually seen the two of them hanging out together.

"Where's the Oracle?" she asked, dropping her bag onto the floor and sliding into her seat.

Dirk shrugged. "With Mikhail, probably. She always is now."

"Oh. I didn't know they were friends."

"Neither did I," he mumbled. He stared at her desk for a moment and then rolled his eyes. "Whatever. How was your weekend?"

"It was good."

"What did you do?"

"On Saturday I had dinner at Reina's with Ash, Laney, Hiro, and Nori– and Cam, of course – and then on Sunday Ash and I went shopping for the club, since we're _hoping_ to throw a party. What about you?"

Dirk folded his arms and leaned back against the window. His face had grown increasingly dejected since she had walked in. "Not as much as you," he mumbled. "I haven't really done anything all weekend."

It was that terribly disappointed expression on his face that led Lillian to ask such a stupid thing. "Do you want to come with Ash and I after school?"

"No." He answered instantly, his voice firm, and almost angry at her. Lillian didn't blame him. His eyes flashed for a moment, looking completely miserable and frustrated. "I don't want to tag along on your date."

"It's not a-"

"Hey!" Kana called out as he entered the door, dropping into his seat with a grin. "Lillian, guess what happened?"

Dirk turned away, and Lillian's conversation with him was finished. She listened to Kana talk about his latest conversation with Georgia, and tried not to think too much about the boy seated in front of her, though she felt guilty throughout the rest of the block.

* * *

Georgia was not in the mood for much at all during the club block. She didn't speak with Ash at the podium, or speak at all. She didn't even say something to Laney. She sat crunching numbers silently with Cam, who shrugged when Ash shot him a questioning look. _I have no idea why_, he mouthed. Ash sat down next to Lillian as the club talked amongst themselves, none of the officers having much to say that day, and said, "I haven't really apologized to Georgia yet, you know."

"You…really should. Your words…I think _your_ words especially can hurt her, Ash."

He looked away for a moment and then sighed. "Laney told me yesterday. She didn't want to betray Georgia's trust like that, but…she wanted me to know that Georgia used to have a thing for me – at least I think she only _used _to – so I would know not to say things like that and hurt her again. You already knew, huh?"

"…Yeah. Reina told me."

Ash looked at her curiously, but didn't bother asking how Reina knew when he – the one Georgia's affections lied with – hadn't noticed. "Please tell me you didn't try to, like, set us up as one of your crazy plans," he said instead, only half-teasing.

Lillian shook her head, smiling. "No. I'm too selfish for that."

"What?" he asked. His eyes were wide, surprised at those words.

They both blushed, and Lillian hurried to come up with an explanation. "I mean…if you and Georgia started dating…you would probably spend all your time with her, and you wouldn't walk me to school anymore or walk me home…you'd have to walk your girlfriend to and from school instead, wouldn't you?"

Ash smiled and ruffled her hair. It was the first time he had done that in a while. "Well, you don't have to worry about that. I'll be walking you to and from school for the rest of the year."

"Good," Lillian replied, not bothering to complain about her hair being mussed, instead leaving it a little messy. She smiled back at him and they turned to look at the other club officers. For one day, Lillian did not find herself with the urge to fix their problems. She'd rather sit back with Ash and watch, and that didn't worry her until later.

* * *

On Wednesday Reina found Lillian and Laney at break and, grinning wide, said, "I have an idea I need you two to help with!"

Lillian and Laney exchanged a look. Lillian couldn't recall _ever _seeing Reina grinning, let alone seeking people out to share her idea. Perhaps Cam had been a good influence on her after all. "What is it?" Laney asked first. "I've never seen you look so excited before!"

Lillian was continuously impressed with the calm interactions between Reina and Laney. Reina had refused on Saturday and every day Lillian saw her since to discuss her feelings about the situation with Cam, so it was impossible to tell whether Hiro had been right – she had needed to resolve her feelings to become happy – or whether he had been wrong, and she was suffering silently. Still, she treated Laney as kindly as she treated Nori. In fact, Reina seemed to treat everyone a bit better, though she still rolled her eyes teasingly when Lillian spoke and liked to give her a hard time. Laney treated Reina as kindly as she treated everyone, and though because it was _her _and she was always nice it wasn't incredibly impressive, Lillian remained impressed by the way Laney had so quickly recovered from her momentary weakness. Her eyes were focused on the city prize, but that never stopped her from being kind and friendly.

Reina regained her usual composure instantly, her face taking on the usual slightly amused but bored expression she always wore. "Well, this is just something I felt particularly clever for," she said, which made Lillian laugh. "I don't know if any of you were aware, but Hiro's birthday is coming up…and I wanted to throw him a party. He's turning eighteen, after all. So I thought that Lillian, you could help with decorations, and Laney, you could help me with the cooking! Cam could do flower arrangements, Nori can help cook too, Ash can help Lillian with decorations…hmm…I guess Dirk has to do something too, or else Hiro will be disappointed he's not there…well, he can help with decorations too. Unless…you two…aren't interested, of course. I'm not forcing you to do it, I just-"

"It sounds great!" Lillian interrupted. Seeing the surprised expressions on the girls' faces had worried Reina, but she looked relieved to see the smiles that came onto their lips now. "I'd love to help out. Hiro could use a little boost."

Reina looked surprised at this comment, but then laughed. "I see. You're always on top of everything, Lillian. Is this alright with you, Laney?"

Lillian was equally surprised Reina had realized what she knew just from those words, but it made sense as well – Reina was always on top of everything too. Laney nodded, still grinning, and said, "It sounds like fun! I'm sure everyone would love to help out. I know where Cam is right now, if you want to go ask him, and he should be with Ash."

"I'll go ask Dirk," Lillian volunteered.

"Good," Reina nodded. She looked incredibly relieved to have the girls supporting her so. "I…I just want to do one nice thing for Hiro, since he's done so many nice things for all of us, really."

Lillian could agree with that. "He definitely deserves it. When is his birthday?"

"Three weeks from now, on the last day of the first semester," Reina replied. "I figured we could have the party at my house, since everyone is pretty familiar with it at this point."

"That sounds fine," Laney replied, smiling still. "Wow…this semester has gone pretty fast…"

For a moment, the weight of their lives post high school appeared. If the first semester could flash by, how quickly would the second semester come and go? But they had better thoughts on their mind, and they pulled away from the sudden fear of adulthood to work on celebrating Hiro's ascent into it.

"Let's all go ask now so we can start planning as soon as possible," Lillian decided, grinning. "Tell Ash I said hi."

"Of course," Reina replied, a knowing smirk on her face. She and Laney exchanged a look, and Lillian wondered if she liked it better when they were both on her side, rather than exchanging those little smiles at her comment. She had to laugh at it though, and turned and walked off towards where she knew Dirk usually spent his break.

* * *

The Oracle was with Dirk today, which was quite a relief. It worried Lillian when they weren't spending a lot of time together. However, as she neared the two, it became increasingly evident that they weren't exactly bonding – they were arguing.

"I didn't know I had agreed to spend _all _of my time with you," the Oracle snapped. "I just wanted to hang out with Mikhail for a bit."

"I'm not saying I'm upset that you're hanging out with someone else," Dirk protested, rolling his eyes. "I'm just saying that you could tell me where the hell you are sometimes and not just disappear. You went from hanging out with me every single day to just…vanishing."

The Oracle looked like she wanted to scream, though Lillian wasn't too sure why. She thought that Dirk had a valid point. When Ash had started hanging out so much with Cam, she had been incredibly distressed at his sudden departure. Who wouldn't feel that way if their friend started pulling away from them? But the Oracle did not seem to share in these thoughts. She said, "Well excuse me for hanging out with other people!" and stamped off.

Lillian hastened to follow her rather than approach Dirk, discreetly sneaking off when the boy wasn't looking. She caught the Oracle's arm, and the girl spun around looking ready to shout until she saw who it was. "Oh…Lillian…I suppose you saw my very unseemly conversation just now."

"I…guess I did…what's going on?"

She released the Oracle's arm, and the girl consequently clasped her hands together before her waist, already looking shamefaced about her interaction with Dirk. "I yelled at him when I really shouldn't have. It's perfectly understandable that he would want to know why I suddenly started spending so much time with Mikhail. He's been teaching me how to play violin, you know."

"I never knew you wanted to learn," Lillian murmured.

"Neither did I. I have a nice time with Mikhail, though. He's a bit of an outcast, like me. I guess you changed both of us so we fit in with more people. I like talking to him. I feel like…we really understand each other."

"Do you…have a crush on him?" Lillian asked, surprised.

The Oracle smiled, and though it looked for a moment like she really did, she laughed and shook her head. She suddenly looked very near to tears. "No. It would be very nice if I could like a nice boy like Mikhail. But I still like Dirk no matter how much he clearly likes someone else. So when he gets jealous about me spending time with Mikhail, I can't help but feel happy…even though I know it's because he was used to being my only friend, though of course he didn't mind sharing me with you. No, I don't have a crush on Mikhail. I wish I could trade my feelings for Dirk with my feelings for him. I spend time with him because I like knowing that people can overcome other people's attitudes about them. I like listening to his violin music, and I like how he tries so hard to fit in with all of you, and I like that it's really begun to pay off this year for him. This year…I've done the same thing, without even trying."

Lillian hesitated and then smiled at the girl. "I think you've tried just as much to get along with people. You and Mikhail are a lot alike – both so kind it's impossible not to like you. I…I'm sorry-"

"No, don't apologize," the Oracle interrupted, laughing and covering Lillian's mouth. "The last thing I want to hear from you is guilt over your feelings. Thank you, Lillian. I think you're the one who made a difference in my life _and _Mikhail's this year. How…how about you come over today?"

"I thought you didn't let anyone come over," Lillian blurted out before she could stop herself.

The Oracle laughed, but Lillian was amazed to see that the girl actually looked a little embarrassed. "I just haven't invited anyone yet, but I thought it would be fun. Would you like to?"

Lillian grinned. "Yeah. Sure."

She followed the girl down the hall as they turned their conversation to topics that weren't quite as hard to discuss – things like the recent club competition, and history class, and how the Oracle braided her hair so neatly. Lillian thought that she had never been so close to a girl – though she had made many friends over the years, Ash and Dirk had been her only best friends. Now she could say that the Oracle too was her best friend, just as she was hers. Sitting with Ash and thinking that she didn't care about the other club members for a few minutes – she had that feeling again as she walked with the Oracle and thought that her conversation with Dirk could wait for a few minutes. Even if high school was going to come and go so fast, knowing that she had gotten to know Ash so much and had befriended the Oracle seemed like worthwhile accomplishments for the year. It made everything else she wanted to accomplish suddenly look a little less important.


	27. Maze

_**Disclai**__**mer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: I am so sorry for the crazy delay for this chapter. I got caught up in a lot of schoolwork (an anime speech I still haven't memorized due Thursday -_-), my mom's birthday, and stuff with my friend (I'm planning her baby shower~). I feel awful about how long its taken haha, I never wanted to be that person who updates like a week later haha, but I guess that's life. I'll do my best to get the next update out sooner, but I really can't make any guarantees. Sorry everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless and do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions, comments, concerns, requests, whatever - I do my best to at least reply to PMs asap. Thanks for being patient!_

* * *

Lillian had fully expected to walk into the Oracle's apartment and find an array of bizarre knick knacks and decorations, but beyond the giant dreamcatcher hanging above her bed – the entire house was one room, so all of her furniture was crammed together in one large open space – everything was perfectly normal. One corner was dedicated to the kitchen, one corner was dedicated to a bedroom, one corner was a studying area, and the other was a bit of a living room. There was a door to the side that was clearly a bathroom, and that was it. The Oracle's perfectly normal loft.

"It's nice," Lillian noted, taking a seat on the worn beige armchair in the living room corner. "I like your room."

The Oracle laughed and sat in a faded white seat opposite her. "It's definitely not coordinated, but you were probably expecting some sort of lab experiment in the corner and bursts of color, right?"

Lillian offered a bashful grin. "I thought it would be a little more particular, but it's fine. It looks a little…temporary though."

"It _is_ temporary," the Oracle murmured. She was quiet for a moment and then said, "Do you know why I want to go to the city so badly?"

"Uh-"

"I want to move there. I want to just run away once we get there with all the money I've managed to save up, find a new place, and start a new life." The Oracle was bouncing her feet up and down atop her taupe carpet. It was freshly vacuumed. In fact, the entire room was taken extraordinarily good care of. There was not a single speck of dust anywhere. It looked far too cherished to be abandoned so readily.

"You'll just…disappear then?" Lillian asked. She felt sick just saying those words. This conversation's turn terrified her. She couldn't imagine a day without the Oracle, but it did make sense – how much of her friends would she see after high school, anyways?

The Oracle nodded. "It's better than staying here. I always thought that in a small town…things might be easier for me. Maybe I'd fit in a little better, and people wouldn't think I'm a freak. I've…I've been feeling better, with friends like you and Dirk, but…I'm still a freak. In the city, I'd be so unimportant – one face in a huge crowd – that I could just fade away and be alone."

"But…would you really want to be alone? Away from all of us?"

The Oracle smiled gently at her. "It's not that I want to be away from you. I really like spending time with all of you. But…once we graduate, you're all going to be moving on to the other things. I'm sure Dirk will want to go to a different college. So will Reina. Nori will probably stay here, but she might not go to college so she can take over her grandfather's farm instead and then she'll be too busy for visits. Everyone will start going their separate ways."

Lillian was quiet for a few moments. Thinking of the Oracle, Dirk, Reina – all of them going to the city – was a strange thought. It made her sad. Hiro, Kana, Laney, Cam…Ash…where were they all going to go? She couldn't imagine a life without any of them.

"I guess that's true," she murmured. "I guess so."

"I'm just going to take advantage of winning – if we do win, of course, which I really do hope we do – to get away. I don't have enough money to travel there and get a place, so I'll just disappear during the trip. I really do hope we win. Not that I don't want you to win, of course."

"I know," Lillian murmured. She stared very focusedly at the tiny coffee table the Oracle had covered with a lilac tablecloth. "I understand."

She didn't know what she could say. The Oracle was treated strangely by the rest of the student population, and she was obviously unhappy – who was Lillian to suggest she grin and bear it and stick around in the same town she had moved to if it did nothing for her? There was no point in that. But there was still one thing that bothered her.

"What about Dirk?"

"What about him?" the Oracle countered.

"I don't know…it's just hard to picture the two of you not together all of the time, I suppose."

The Oracle was quiet again and then laughed once more. "Well, it's bound to happen eventually. We can't be some sort of power pair forever."

There was a wistful look that clung in her eyes, however, suggesting that she wished it could be so. Lillian watched her, feeling guilt rise in her. Here she was, torn with Dirk's affection, when the Oracle wanted it so much. Of the two of them, it was clear who was the more deserving of his feelings. Only one of them looked like that when his name came up.

"Why Dirk?" Lillian asked. She hadn't meant to, but she couldn't help it. The look on the Oracle's face was such a contrast to Dirk's expression when he looked at his fuchsia haired partner. Why would the Oracle, who was really so different from her club president, fall in love with him?

The Oracle laughed at this question. "Why Ash?"

"What?"

"What is it about Ash you like?"

"I…I just…do."

The Oracle smiled at her in a tender, gentle way. "Same with me. I just do like Dirk."

_But there has to be a why_, Lillian thought. There had to be some explanation for why the Oracle clearly cared about him so much. And…there had to be a reason Lillian cared about Ash so much. She silenced herself as the Oracle tapped her fingers against a table that was covered with a checkerboard set for two even though this was the first time two players had entered the house, but finally burst with, "I already told you. When I'm not with Dirk, I can handle it just fine. But when I'm not with Ash, it's hard. It hurts. I've always been with him, since I was a baby. Way before I even met Dirk. If we were to stop being together – stop being in each other's lives – then…I don't know. It just wouldn't be right."

The Oracle offered up that same gentle smile. "It'll be like that eventually though, won't it? After high school, you'll go your separate ways…it'll be different than when you lived in different towns four a couple years. And then why will you like Ash? There has to be more than just, you always have. That's what you thought about Dirk and I, isn't it?"

It was impressive how on the ball the Oracle was with this. She moved a single checker diagonally to a new space. She was black, Lillian was red. The brunette studied the board for a moment before she moved a checker to the corner, where it could not be jumped. "I…guess…but…it's not like you've known Dirk as long as I've known Ash. It's...different."

The Oracle moved another black circle forward for battle. "But I depend on him just as much as you depend on Ash, and I still know that there are other reasons beside that dependence for why I have feelings for him. Lots of friends depend on you, and that doesn't mean they have a crush on you, does it?"

Lillian moved another piece to the opposite side's corner. "That's different."

Another piece for battle. "How so?"

Lillian had no choice. She had to move a checker towards the Oracle's. "I…it just is."

"You lose by playing it safe, you know." The Oracle jumped Lillian's checker, into a safe spot.

"I'm not very good at checkers," Lillian said.

"Now, that's not a very good excuse."

The two girls smiled at each other. "There are other reasons," Lillian said. "A lot of them. I just don't know how to describe them."

The Oracle rose to her feet and cleared the checkerboard, replacing the empty spot it left on the table with two coasters. "Well, you'd better hurry before he continues on thinking that you don't like him at all. I'll go make us tea."

Lillian smiled when she left. No matter how much the girl had seemed to change, she still knew everything about what was going on around her.

* * *

Reina didn't approach Lillian with more discussion on Hiro's birthday until Friday, and then she sat down at the edge of their table beside Laney and Cam and instantly gathered everyone's attention.

"Lillian, have you talked to Dirk yet about Hiro's party?"

It was clear from the flash of surprise in Lillian's violet eyes that she had not. Ash glanced at her as she slapped a hand to her face and said, "I completely forgot! I'm sorry. He's just been so weird lately, I've totally forgotten every time I've gone to talk to him…"

Her eyes unconsciously swiveled to Mikhail. Dirk was troubled with everything that seemed to be piling up – his club issue, his Lillian and Ash issue, and now his Oracle issue, and Mikhail was the center of that one. As much as the Oracle relied on Dirk, Lillian thought that he relied on her for a lot of key components of his plans. He seemed to think that the Oracle's affections had already been swayed to Mikhail, but little did he know that she still cared very much for him – all he saw was that Mikhail was taking away his partner in crime, and so every time Lillian approached him, he seemed to have thoughts of him weighing on his mind. The Oracle had said that he had never expected to see someone spend so much time with her, and Lillian thought that perhaps she was right. It was tough to see someone you thought would be dedicated to you spending time with someone else...but Lillian hoped it was a wake up call of sorts to the boy who thought his lackey would always be waiting.

"Don't worry, just make sure you talk to him about it as soon as possible. You and Ash are still okay for helping with the decorations, right?" Reina asked, her voice quick. Lillian suspected that she really wasn't too concerned with including Dirk in the plans, but did so only for Hiro's benefit. Three people on decoration duty was unnecessary, but leaving out someone who had _once _been a very close friend to Hiro and was still a relatively good friend was asking for a bad party.

Ash, who had heard all of the details from Laney and Cam, nodded. "Yeah, we're good for it. Do you have some decorations in mind?"

Reina rummaged through her bag for a moment and then pulled out 200 G, pressing it across the table towards them. "Hiro really likes green, so any sort of green streamers, banners, whatever you can get would be good. I want to get them as soon as possible so I can make sure we collect everything. Can you two go out this weekend – with Dirk if you can, I guess – and buy whatever this money gets you? Then I'll talk to you more if my house still seems a little bare."

"It's still two weeks to go," Laney pointed out. "Do you think this might be _too_ early for decorations?" Lillian thought of Reina decorating her house this weekend for Hiro's birthday party and had to agree that two weeks was a long time to prep your house for a party.

"I just want to make sure his birthday goes perfectly…so I don't want to delay anything too much," Reina mumbled, looking a little embarrassed to be relying on people and working so hard for something like this. Obviously Reina was well-known for her independence and ambition, but switching those up to throw a birthday party for someone was not something people would typically expect for her. Still, Lillian thought it made perfect sense. After having to deny Hiro's feelings, Reina looked eager to do anything to prove to him that he was a friend she cherished, even if he was _just _a friend.

"What are you all talking about?" Georgia asked. She had grown increasingly more transient during lunch discussions, and rarely spoke at all lately. To be left out of the loop again seemed to be troubling her. "What party?"

"It's a surprise party for Hiro," Laney explained hurriedly. "Since you're not particularly close to him, we didn't think to tell you…"

"You three aren't close to him either!" Georgia protested, looking at Laney, Cam and Ash in turn. "Why are you helping out so much?"

"I live where it's being held," Cam pointed out.

"I'm cooking," Laney said.

"Mostly because Lillian is," Ash shrugged.

Georgia rose to her feet, looking properly finished with the discussion. "I see. Well, have fun planning. I'll leave so you don't have to feel bad about leaving me out…if you did at all." She tossed her food into the nearby trash can and stomped off.

"What a spoiled brat," Ash muttered, looking away.

Laney shot him a withering look. "It's not her fault! Wouldn't you feel left out? We've been keeping her out of the conversations a lot and making her feel bad…are you really surprised that she's so upset? Have you apologized to her yet?"

Ash made a face that clearly said he hadn't apologized yet.

Laney rushed after Georgia, and Reina glanced confusedly at Lillian. "What's going on?" she said.

Cam answered her with a shrug and said, "Don't bother asking. Georgia's issues require a lot of explanation. Laney's got a point though. She's got a reason for all of this. You should really apologize to her, Ash. Otherwise she'll never let us throw the party, and she's going to be angry at us forever. I prefer Georgia when she's making all of us laugh."

Everyone seemed reluctant to admit what a change Georgia's demeanor made in their conversation, but it was clear. Her fierce excitement, teasing, and overall joy made it impossible to not notice her sudden change into a quieter, solemner person. Lillian preferred her when she making them all laugh too, and she felt a lot of pity for the girl who felt like her club was turning against her numerous times in her life _and _had to deal with her clearly unrequited feelings for Ash. "You should apologize to her," Lillian murmured. "You're hurting her feelings."

Ash sighed and got up, not bothering to say anything else. He looked at Lillian for a moment and then left their table and his belongings behind.

Cam looked from Lillian to Mikhail to Reina. "I think you've killed this lunch session," he told her, but Lillian was surprised to see a smile on his face.

Reina smiled back, but looked a little apologetic. "I'll come talk to you guys when you're alone from now on. You're welcome to come to Hiro's party too if you want, Mikhail. Georgia too. I just didn't think you'd all want to."

"It's fine," Mikhail answered. He looked completely undaunted by the situation. "It's a close friends thing, isn't it? So I don't think there's an issue with not telling Georgia or I."

Reina and Lillian exchanged a smile. You could always count on Mikhail to be level-headed. She got up and said, "Right. I'll see you guys at the club competition, alright?"

"Sure," they replied, smiling. Only when she walked away did Mikhail say, "Let me know if you have any problems with the party though, and need help. I'd be happy to lend some assistance."

And with that, he went back to eating. For Mikhail, it was only natural to offer help.

* * *

Dirk was staring determinedly out the window, alone again, when Lillian entered. "Where's the Oracle now? She obviously wasn't with Mikhail," she said as she slid into her chair behind him.

He turned to her and said, "Are you wearing a new perfume? You smell nice."

"Are you trying to change the subject?"

"I'm just giving you a compliment, take it or leave it."

She made a face, but smiled. "Well, thanks." She decided to change the subject for him, since he didn't seem like he was answering despite his reply. "Hey, I was supposed to tell you something earlier, but I completely forgot until now. Reina is throwing a surprise party for Hiro, and she put me, you and Ash in charge of decorations. Will you come shopping with us this weekend to help pick things out?"

Dirk hesitated, looking highly uncomfortable at the suggestion. "When is the party going to be?" he asked rather than immediately answer.

"The day after the last day of the first semester – the day after his birthday. It'll be at Reina's house. Reina, Nori, and Laney are doing the cooking, Cam is doing flower arrangements, and then it's just us. Do you want to come, or no?"

Dirk didn't answer her for a minute. Students continued to trickle in, but the Oracle still didn't show up. Neither did Kana. Not until a few seconds before the bell rang, when Dirk said, "Yeah, I guess. Call me tonight and we'll talk about it, alright?"

He wrote his number down on the edge of his paper and handed it to her while the Oracle and Kana plopped down. Both looked decidedly sullen. The Oracle glanced at the exchange of paper and then looked away, the sour expression on her face tightening even more.

"What's wrong?" Lillian asked Kana first, glad to see that the teacher was a little delayed today as well, and she had extra time to talk to them.

Kana sighed. "It's just…Georgia. She came to me at lunch pretty upset about feeling left out of things lately. I do so much to try and cheer her up, but absolutely nothing works. I don't know what I can do to make her happy."

Lillian winced. "Did…Ash ever find her?"

"Huh? Was he looking for her?"

"…Oh, never mind. Kana, I-"

Mr. Hamilton turned and faced them, and the class quieted down instantly. Kana shrugged and looked away, and Lillian didn't get the chance to tell him that he _was _helping Georgia, and she didn't get the chance to even begin finding out what was troubling the Oracle.

* * *

"I don't really get this competition," Laney said, looking confused. Georgia hadn't shown up yet, and Lillian was standing among them, ready to take over her previous position if the redhead never did come. "What are we supposed to do?"

"It's a memory game," Cam answered, his voice quiet and contemplative. He was staring focusedly at the lines of sheets that ran crazily throughout the auditorium, hanging to the floor and strung up a good eight feet. "We see what the maze looks like for a few seconds and try to memorize the route. Then we wait five minutes, trying to hold it in our heads. Then we all enter the maze at separate places – every officer – and whoever's team ends up in the center first wins. Even if every member except for one is there, you lose. Every member has to make it to the center for one team to win."

"It seems pretty easy to memorize a route, but…to memorize all ten routes, and maintain them during the break?" Ash shook his head, looking glum. "It's not really a memory game, it's just a maze. The best we can do is try to meet up with other club members and compare what we have in our memory, I guess."

"We're more likely to meet up with the Konohana members though," Mikhail noted, his face scrunched up in serious thought. He and Cam seemed the most understanding of this, and both studied the maze with narrowed eyes, drinking in everything they could see from their position. "It's spread out that it'll probably be one Bluebell member, then Konohana, then Bluebell again, Konohana again, and so on. To our left and right will be members of the opposite team, and it'll be the same for them."

Lillian nodded. "It'll be hard, but we'll just have to do our best. They'll be as confused and lost as us."

Laney was worried about other things at this point. "Where is Georgia?" she fretted. "It's not like her to miss something like this. I couldn't even find her at lunch today, you know. She just...disappeared."

Across the auditorium, the Konohana members were milling about, the five officers in serious thought. Lillian scanned the crowd of members who didn't hold a higher position, but she couldn't see Kana. _What's going on?_She wondered. She glanced at Ash and said, "You never got a chance to apologize to her either, did you?"

"Couldn't find her," he shrugged. "It's like she completely vanished. Hey…did you talk to Dirk?"

"Oh…yeah. He's going to come with us tomorrow to buy decorations."

Ash looked across the room towards Dirk, and his old best friend met his eyes for a moment before both tore themselves away to look at their leading ladies. The Oracle and Lillian shrugged to each other, but Lillian noticed that her friend still looked down. "Let me know what time you want us to. _I'll_pick you up, okay? We can just meet him at the store."

Lillian was surprised at this statement, but nodded. "Yeah. Sure. I'm going to call him tonight to see what time he wants to do it, and I'll call you afterwards."

"Okay," Ash nodded. He hesitated for a moment and then murmured, "When he comes tomorrow, will you still-"

But his statement was drowned out by the irritating echo of the microphone's screech, and he shook his head, blushing, when she leaned towards him to ask what it was. Principal Rutger looked out apologetically to the students who shrieked at the sound of his error, and the pair turned their attention to him instead. "Sorry, sorry kids! A little technical trouble. We're going to show you the maze ahead of time because the projector isn't working well, and it's only got a little bit of life left. So club officers – or fill ins, I suppose," his eyes darted to the Bluebell members, who looked around with increasing anxiety for Georgia, "pay close attention."

The maze flipped onto the screen and Lillian stopped looking for Georgia. She would just have to fill in for her this time. She stared at it carefully, but before she got to memorize more than a few routes, the screen flicked off, and Principal Rutger turned off the microphone with another terrible noise, and stepped down.

"Looks like you're filling in for Georgia," Laney sighed. "I'm sure you'll do great, but…"

"Sorry!" Georgia cried out, rushing towards them. Her hair streamed behind her like a crimson cape. Lillian looked over her shoulder to see Kana rejoining his group as subtlety as possible. "Someone held me up. What's up with this competition?"

The competing members of Bluebell exchanged an uncomfortable look. Once again, Georgia would have to be left out.

"It's a maze for the club officers," Cam explained hesitantly. "But…you can't participate. You missed it when they showed the routes we needed to take to get through it, so we had Lillian fill in for you. I'm sorry, Georgia."

She stared at Lillian, looking dumbfounded, and then gave a weak nod. "Oh. Okay. I'll…just go sit down then…"

She stumbled and then rushed down the stage and towards the seating, and Lillian looked pointedly towards Ash, who nodded and followed her. Lillian couldn't stand to look at him as he apologized to her, however. For some reason, the thought troubled her. She focused on what was ahead of her instead, and tried to hold the map image in her mind. In five minutes, she would need it.

* * *

Lillian knew the maze was going to be confusing, but she was completely unprepared for how quickly she lost her way. She had not begun on one of her memorized routes, and even if she had, those were too hazy to rely on after the break. She heard people bustling around, sometimes just on the other side of the sheets used to direct the maze, but she was reluctant to call out to them. If they were Konohana members, she didn't want to put herself in the awkward position of helping them or being helped by them or having to ignore them - especially if Laney saw and was forced to decide whether she wanted to dock them points for it or be dishonest and not dock anything.

So Lillian continued on, sure that she was going backwards more often than forwards. Every moment filled her with panic - what if everyone else from Bluebell was already in the middle? What if she was the last one to arrive? She was prepared to simply start running through the maze when she heard someone nearing her, and drew herself up short. She hoped it was Ash, and was shocked with the overwhelming hope that it was him - but it was not. It was Dirk, of course, who rounded the corner and leaped back.

"Goddess, you scared me! What are you doing just standing there? That's terrifying. You're like the sphinx."

"Very funny. I was hoping you were someone from my club."

"I saw Laney and Cam together earlier, going the opposite direction as me," Dirk told her with a shrug. "I'm not too sure which of us is headed the right way. Did you come from that direction, then?"

He pointed behind her, and Lillian both saw no reason to lie to him - she obviously had - and did not think that she could bring herself to do it anyways. She nodded and he gestured back where he had come and said, "Then they're the ones headed the right way. Let's go. Maybe we'll meet up with Ash along the way. That would certainly please you, wouldn't it?"

"Seeing anyone from my club would be nice!" Lillian snapped, embarrassed at the smug look on his face and feeling guilty for the frustration in his eyes. As scared as he had been to come across her, she had been just as disappointed to come across him. Now that disappointment was seized with relief - if it couldn't be Ash, she _was _glad it was Dirk, at least. Also, knowing that Laney and Cam were together was hopeful. Cam and Mikhail had both appeared to have a good take on the maze, and if Laney was with Cam, then it was certain that those three were all on the right track. But Ash...he was still out there.

"Of course," Dirk told her, making a face. "Hurry up."

"Why don't you just go without me if you're going to hurry me up?" Lillian protested, though she sped up and walked briskly alongside him as they followed the opposite route. She felt that she could trust him enough to follow him, but she was still wary as they passed up routes she hadn't yet explored. She had a hard time believing Dirk would ever attempt to sabotage her, but these club competitions had the ability to make people do things a little out of character. She thought it had that effect on everyone - especially Georgia. And with that new thought of Georgia, Lillian forced herself to stop thinking and just follow Dirk. She felt too guilty for the girl who was forced to sit and watch, especially when she knew that she was as lost as Georgia would have been even with the additional help of seeing the maze on the projector - Georgia would have been as good as her had she not filled in.

Dirk took her wrist and pulled her down into another route before he got the chance to give her an answer - though it probably would have been mocking anyways. When she turned to ask him why they were suddenly hiding, he put a finger to his lips. They watched, silent, as Nori walked past them - headed in the opposite direction, thankfully, and looking extremely confused. She never noticed them. Lillian frowned at Dirk, and waited until he finally let go of her. She opened her mouth to ask why he would do that when it was clearly hindering his team, but someone else did first.

"What was that all about?"

Dirk turned around with a fright, but then let loose a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Hiro. "Oh, good, it's you. The Oracle has been trying to figure out who the buzzer is, and last I heard she was suspicious of Nori. I didn't want her to see me walking with Lillian."

"Not that we're cheating or something," Lillian tacked on. "He found me when he was going the wrong way after I already _went _the wrong way."

Hiro looked from one to the other and then nodded, wearing a smile. "I see. Why does she think Nori is the buzzer?"

"I don't remember," Dirk shrugged, looking frustrated. It seemed like he really _didn't _remember. Lillian considered sharing the information the Oracle had gathered - that Nori was _not _the buzzer - but restrained herself from doing so. She wasn't sure why, but she suddenly felt like she should keep that information a secret. Not only was her gut instinct advocating that choice, but she felt guilty about telling Dirk that he was in on old news - the Oracle had already moved her suspicions along.

"Let's keep going then," Hiro said. "I've been lost for a while, so I'll follow you wherever you seem to be going, Dirk."

"I saw Laney and Cam head down this way, so I'm going after them, basically. I think they were on the right path," Dirk explained.

Hiro glanced at Lillian, looking a little suspicious. "Well, it was nice of you to help Lillian."

Dirk looked at Hiro in turn and then shrugged. "Well, she would have gotten to the right spot eventually without my help. Let's keep going."

Even though he had been reunited with Hiro and even though they knew they could turn and fetch Nori to bring her back in the right direction, Dirk did not abandon Lillian. He stuck closer to her than he did to Hiro, winking teasingly at her when she looked at him in confusion. The three of them didn't say anything, all having their own problems to worry over, but didn't separate.

It was only a few more moments of walking when Dirk moved back again, Hiro following. They stood before Lillian, shrouding her from whoever was going to walk by, but she stood on her tiptoes and forced her way between them when she saw a familiar face heading past.

"You're going the wrong direction!" Lillian told Ash, catching his hand. "It's this way!"

Ash looked at her in surprise, and then turned to Hiro and Dirk. "What are you all doing together?" he asked, a little suspicious.

"Lillian and I met up and traded information so we could get in the right direction," Dirk replied, his voice flat.

"We think Laney and Cam are headed the right way, and Nori was walking in the wrong direction, so if we hurry along this path, I think we'll be able to make it," Lillian told him. "Come on!"

She turned to Hiro and Dirk with her last words, but still clung to Ash's hand. The realization that they really could win washed over her, and she almost had to resist the urge to turn and abandon the boys who had guided her. Still, she and Ash were too kind to do something like that, as were Dirk and Hiro, so they walked together, Ash pointing out which turn he remembered being correct from the maze's brief time on the projector. Lillian held onto Ash's wrist as they went, and Dirk now didn't bother walking so close to her. "You sure?" he asked at Ash's choice from his place on Hiro's other side.

"I'm pretty sure," Ash replied, looking a little nervous once he knew someone was so carefully studying his choice.

"Then this way it is," Lillian announced, pulling him along. Dirk didn't say anything else.

* * *

"Here!" Hiro declared proudly when he saw Laney, Cam, Mikhail, Reina and the Oracle all waiting in the center. Laney and Cam surged forward, Cam to clap his best friend on the back and Laney to hug Lillian. "Does this mean we won?" she asked, too excited about that prospect to bother asking why they had been walking with Hiro and Dirk.

Principal Rutger's microphone screeched, and Mikhail said, "I suppose that terrible melody means that we did!"

Reina sighed, looking disappointed, and the Oracle frowned towards Dirk. Nori walked into the room with a groan as Principal Rutger announced Bluebell's win and said, "Sorry. I guess I got turned around..."

"It's not your fault," Hiro said. He and Dirk exchanged a look before he turned to Lillian with a polite congratulations. The Oracle and Reina hugged her and said half-hearted "good jobs" as well, but their disappointment was clear - they were falling farther and farther behind Bluebell, and soon club competitions wouldn't stand a chance of closing that gap. They heard sheets being torn down all around them, and Kana and Georgia appeared with similar expressions on their faces - neither happy nor sad. Georgia turned to Lillian and high fived her, but didn't even glance at Ash before she moved onto Laney. Kana exchanged a long look with Lillian before turning to his group and offering up a shrug.

"It makes me feel sort of bad," Ash murmured, watching Konohana's quiet admittance of defeat. "I guess I see how you feel all these times."

"Yeah. It's not very fun winning when you have to make them lose," Lillian said. She squeezed Ash's wrist and then blushed when she realized she was still holding it. "Sorry! I didn't-"

"It's okay," Ash interrupted, smiling at her and taking her own wrist gently in his hand, giving it a small squeeze. "Thanks for making sure I noticed you guys. It's because you helped me that we won."

"I wanted to find you earlier, but I think we entered farther apart," Lillian mumbled, her voice a little bitter. She felt embarrassed when these words left her, and laughed a little at herself. "I...I mean...well, it was weird not being able to find you right away."

Ash ruffled her hair and laughed, releasing her wrist. "Well, don't worry. Unless we get forced into another maze, you'll always be able to find me."

Lillian smiled back at him and thought of her conversation with the Oracle once more. She had made it sound like dependence and closeness wasn't enough to care for someone, and Lillian had to agree that she was right - it was the trust she felt with Ash, the reassurance he gave her, and the comfort they offered each other that mattered far more than their proximity. Walking with Dirk, she had been troubled by slight misgivings about his intentions, but she had never questioned Ash's memory as possibly being false. She trusted him far too much to do anything of the sort. She trusted him, searched for him, and yearned to be by his side. Maybe that was built off of her childhood time with him, and maybe those childhood memories weren't enough to form feelings for someone _now_, in high school. But these new memories they made, their new bond, the way Ash was always waiting for Lillian when she needed him and the way she was able to trust him and believe in him - that was enough. She didn't need to question those feelings. She glanced over her shoulder at the Oracle and smiled when she saw that she was standing next to Dirk now. She felt that she knew now why the Oracle had been so certain of her feelings. For her, Dirk was the only person.

Lillian felt the same for the boy smiling beside her, accepting Principal Rutger's bellowed congratulations and squeezing her hand as he did.

* * *

Bluebell was heading out to celebrate when two things happened all at once. Georgia turned and said, "Sorry, I've got to go meet up with someone," and the Oracle appeared next to Lillian and said, "Can I have a minute?"

"What do you mean? _You_ don't want to celebrate?" Laney asked Georgia.

"What's wrong?" Lillian asked the Oracle.

"I'm glad we won, of course," Georgia said, "but I have plans. It's not like I played any part in the win anyways - I don't have a right to celebrate. Go ahead. Have fun."

"I'll explain in private," The Oracle said.

"Georgia!" Laney called after her, but the redhead did not turn back, and headed straight back into the auditorium.

"Go on ahead, I'll catch up," Lillian told Ash, who hesitated and then nodded. He put his hand gently on her head, playfully suggesting that he was going to muss up her newly fixed hair before he patted her instead and headed off with his friends.

The Oracle smiled at this and said, "You two don't seem as weird as you were earlier. Something good happen?"

"Well...nothing out of the ordinary..."

The Oracle just laughed and shrugged. "Well, as long as you two are getting along good, I'm happy. But...there's something I'm not very happy about right now."

"What's the matter?" Lillian asked, her eyebrows raising in surprise at the frustrated expression on the Oracle's face.

"We were docked ten more points. On top of our loss. We are trailing you so much - no, we're too far behind to trail you. You've practically lapped us, Lillian. We're doing terribly. I don't even think we stand a chance at winning anymore." The Oracle sighed and leaned back against the wall of the school, tilting her head up towards the sky and squinting towards the sun.

"Why were you docked points?"

The Oracle glanced at Lillian and then smiled. "You tell me."

"What?"

"You're the one who was with the buzzer the whole time. Whatever he saw when he was with you convinced him to dock Konohana points."

"_What_?" Lillian repeated, her eyes as wide as possible. "I...what...Hiro? Hiro is the buzzer?"

The Oracle folded her arms and nodded. "Think about it. We were docked quite a few points earlier in the year when we helped you out. Only a few of us knew about that situation. And we were docked points today."

"And when Kana was 'hurt...' Points were docked then, but the only one who knew his leg wasn't really hurt was Hiro," Lillian whispered, shocked. "But Hiro-"

"Is too honest to let his feelings get in the way of his duty," the Oracle finished, her voice firm. "What happened while you were out there? What did Dirk do?"

Lillian looked at the Oracle, surprised to see the disappointment heavy in her eyes. The Oracle wasn't angry at her - no, that expression was solely for her club president. She opened her mouth to explain what Dirk had done and then stopped herself. But she knew that wouldn't satisfy her friend. The Oracle wanted answers, and she knew that Lillian knew what had happened. The brunette hung her head in dejection and then said, "He thought Nori was the buzzer, so he let her go off in the wrong direction so she wouldn't see that he was helping me. Hiro came up behind us and saw that, and Dirk told him those same words."

The Oracle looked at her, shocked, for a moment, and then shook her head. "Well, I don't know why I'm so surprised. He's done things like that before for you. It's not insane to consider him doing it again. I just thought that maybe...he would realize how important this is to me..."

Her words became stunted and choked with tears, and so she hurriedly stopped herself. Lillian stepped forward to comfort her, but she shook her head. "No, it's fine...you catch up with Ash. I've got to go talk to Dirk. Thank you for telling me, Lillian."

"He didn't...mean to hurt you..."

"Yeah," the Oracle said. Her voice was clearly disbelieving. "Of course. I'll talk to you on Monday."

Lillian reached out for her, but finally nodded. The Oracle looked like she was going to burst into tears if they talked any longer. She watched her walk away and then turned, feeling the immense weight of guilt once again because _she _was the one who hurt her friend. She walked forward with her eyes glued to the floor, but looked up suddenly when she saw someone block her way.

"Everything okay?" Ash asked.

Lillian looked at him in shock and then said, "Why didn't you...?"

"Well, she looked a little upset, so I figured whatever you two had to talk about wasn't all that good. Are _you_ okay?"

He watched her carefully, head tilted to the side, and then caught his breath when Lillian lurched forward and hugged him. "I feel awful," she murmured. "It's my fault that she's hurt."

She felt his hands touch her back, gently rubbing up and down. "It's not your fault," he murmured. "You didn't do anything wrong. This is about Dirk, right?"

"...Yeah."

"You can't help that, so don't...don't feel bad about it."

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"I feel bad for hurting him too."

"What do you mean?"

Lillian looked up and caught his eyes and said, "I don't like Dirk."

Ash's eyes widened. "You...don't?"

"No."

"I...always kind of thought you did."

She shook her head before burying her face in his chest once more, suddenly too embarrassed to look at him. A few moments ticked by and then Ash's grip tightened. "That's not your fault either," he murmured. "Dirk will understand, and so will she. So don't feel bad." He was quiet for a moment, Lillian nodding against his chest, too embarrassed to look at him, and then he mumbled, "Hey, do me a favor."

"Hmm?"

"...Tell me this kind of stuff a little sooner, so I don't have to worry."

"I...Alright."

She looked at him and then laughed, and he laughed as well. "Let's go catch up with the rest," he said, catching her hand and pulling her forward. "They're going to celebrate without us at this rate. And for today...don't worry about everything else. Let the Oracle and Dirk worry about themselves for a little bit longer."

"I always have to worry about something though," Lillian joked, her face flushed. She suddenly felt very aware of Ash's eyes on her, and felt like laughing her awkwardness away. She had never expected to feel so self-conscious.

"Then worry about me," Ash told her, turning and holding her eyes very seriously for a moment before grinning and saying, "Just kidding. Let's go!"

He began to run, pulling her along behind him, and Lillian laughed and pushed herself to run along with him. She would worry - she would worry about the Oracle, and she would worry about Dirk, and she would worry about Ash and herself as well. But for that afternoon, she could pretend there was not a care in the world - and that was made a little easier when Ash was beside her.


	28. Spirals, Not Lanterns

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it._

_**Author's Note**__: Sorry for this crazy late update, everyone! I feel pretty awful about it. I wish I could update as quickly as I used to, but things have started to pile up and have gotten ridiculous. -_- I will try my hardest to get these updates posted asap, but I can't make any promises. The baby shower I've been planning is this weekend (I have to go help set up in like ten hours, but I'm staying up late to get this up! haha) so that'll be out of the way, but I just started A New Beginning so that's taken up a lot of time hahaha (speaking of, for those of you playing as a girl, which bachelor are you going for? I can't decide! :P). Beyond that, I put a lot of work into this chapter and it's the second to last chapter about the first semester of Lillian's senior year. It is a bit short however, and focuses on just a handful of characters, but I have already started writing the next one because it has a big event~ so that'll take up space haha, and I didn't want this chapter to be like 15,000 words. :P And beyond_ that_,__ I hope you all had a good Halloween and couple of weekends and weeks and had a nice time voting or watching the election? Hahaha, whatever it was you all did! (: Thanks for keeping up with this story even after the long delay, and thanks for the sweet words of encouragement and checking up on me and everything, it's really appreciated. I have a poll running on my profile right now to decide what pairing(s) I'll be writing a story for after this one and/or Daffodil, so vote there and I'll start drafting a story so when I do write it the chapters don't come as slowly! :P I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I hope you have a great weekend everyone!_

* * *

"…Hi Ash."

"Hi."

"Hey Lillian!"

"Hello!"

"Let's go."

Ash caught Lillian's wrist and pulled her forward, but Dirk swung his arm out, blocking his path. "You're not going to hold my hand too?" he asked.

Lillian made a face at his words, but Ash's scowl alleviated for just a moment – for those fleeting seconds he looked like he was smiling at Dirk's words. But then he knocked his hand out of his way and said, "Try to be productive and not hold us back, would you? We don't have all day to pick out decorations."

"What else do you two have to do?" Dirk asked, his eyes a little suspicious. "You two make some sort of plans?"

"No," Lillian answered, avoiding his eyes. She felt guilt clawing at her. Even though she spoke the truth, she knew what image he had in his mind of what the pair could possibly be up to afterwards and felt ashamed that it was a genuine chance. "And stop being so difficult. Let's move along."

Dirk smiled when he saw that his words had gotten to her and fell into step behind her as they entered the party preparation store. Inside were piles and piles of abandoned decorations that hadn't been used during the Pumpkin Festival. Dirk kicked a pile of hollowed out plastic pumpkins and said, "Why do we call it the Pumpkin Festival anyways? It's just about giving kids candy."

"Dunno," Ash replied. "Most of the festivals here don't make any sense."

"Snow Festivals are pretty clear cut."

"What's the point of the Starry Night Festival, though? There are stars out _every _night."

Dirk offered his once upon a time friend a very disappointed look. "Bring this subject up with me after winter is over, alright? Depending on what you actually do that day, it might have a pretty great point." His eyes darted momentarily towards Lillian and then he kicked a stray pumpkin back into the pile and moved on.

For someone who _must _have been scolded fiercely by the Oracle, he seemed pretty chipper. He was even up to making efforts to continue his recent decision to treat Ash with slight friendliness, though their idea of making nice was more often a little malicious. Lillian let Ash pull her along, but she found her eyes drifting to Dirk as they walked, wondering just how he managed to look absolutely fine when the continued defeat of Konohana _and _the Oracle's anger must have been pestering him.

As Ash ran his finger along a row full of various shades of green streamers, Dirk sighed and turned to Lillian. "What is it?" he said. "Your staring is getting unnerving."

"Uh…" Lillian drifted off, feeling Ash's eyes on her as well with Dirk's latest comment. "Um, how are things going with your club? The officers, I mean. Are they all…getting along?"

Dirk raised an eyebrow and then lifted his hand to nudge Ash's towards a pack of pale green streamers. "That's his favorite shade," he said, forcing Ash's attention back to the decorations. "And yes, as far as I know. You know something I don't?"

Lillian was initially relieved to see that he was at least going to be concerned about the club after her vague remarks, but saw when she looked back to him that his eyes were teasing. How much _did _he care about his club, anyways? Wasn't the win important to him?

"Hey…why do you want to win?"

"Do you realize how rarely you answer my questions?"

"Oh. Sorry."

Dirk smiled at her and tilted his head to the side. Ash pulled two packages of pale green streamers from the shelves and dumped them into the small basket he had grabbed at the entrance. "I don't have a huge reason for wanting to win anymore. It's not as important as it used to be, I guess. Anyways, let's go."

He turned and walked down the aisle, and Lillian and Ash exchanged a look. "Didn't he used to…get really into winning?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ash murmured, his eyes narrowed. "I was the one who said something about how he'd always want to win, didn't I? For him to not care about his latest loss…he didn't even look particularly disappointed yesterday…"

"Hurry up!" Dirk called from the aisle's end. "I found a green Happy Birthday banner."

* * *

The pursuit for the perfect decorations continued for another hour, but the boys grew angrier and angrier at each other as those sixty minutes drew by. They couldn't agree on whether or not they should buy the palest shade of green or a darker tint, the long stretching banner or the shorter one to hang above a mantle and they couldn't agree on who should walk next to Lillian when she stood next to the shelves and they couldn't agree on who should command the conversation. Lillian found herself changing the subject more often than not in hopes that _something _would convince them to shift the biting tone of their conversation.

"Look, just get these paper lanterns," Dirk finally snapped when he could take no more, his voice full of exasperation as he shoved a box towards Ash.

Ash didn't let go of the spiral decorations he had chosen. In fact, he used his box to knock Dirk's out of the way. "They'll make Reina's house too cluttered. Just stick to these."

"It's _Hiro's_birthday, so you should pick things he likes more."

"I don't think he wants so many decorations they're falling all over him. The lanterns are just one long string that would have to stay in one room, but these can be spread all around the house."

Dirk's eyes narrowed, and Lillian bit her lip and watched to see who would back down first. "_I'm_Hiro's friend, alright? I know what he wants."

"You and Hiro hardly even talk anymore, I wouldn't say that makes you friends," Ash pointed out, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, because you are _obviously _as close with all of your friends now as you were at the beginning of the year. Like Georgia, for example."

Something in that statement _definitely _struck Ash. Lillian's eyes widened at the heavy scowl that crossed his face and the shame that forced him to look at the ground rather than Dirk. He passed the basket off to Lillian and mumbled, "I'm going to take a walk so I don't…I'll be right back, alright?"

"Okay," Lillian replied, her voice soft and worried as she accepted the basket and watched him stalk off in the other direction, hands in his pockets. Dirk already looked a little guilty, with his own hands in his pockets and his eyes downcast. Lillian spun on him anyways, unwilling to let his remark slip away.

"What happened with him and Georgia that you're getting at? We've _all _been having some difficult times with Georgia lately and Ash doesn't deserve to get the total blame for-"

"He made her cry. Yesterday, right before the club competition. I was surprised to see him leave you to go sit with her, so I was paying a bit more attention and I saw…" he drifted off, shrugging and refusing to look Lillian in the eyes. "I saw her start to cry and assumed he did _something _wrong. Lillian, I didn't mean to be a jerk, but what he said about Hiro-"

"Is the truth!" Lillian snapped, perfectly willing to interrupt him a second time. Her vehement defense of Ash surprised her as much as it shocked Dirk. "You and Hiro have been weird ever since the photograph incident with me. I don't know why-"

"Would you just take my side for once?!" Dirk leaned towards Lillian, his eyes full of hurt and frustration, and put one hand against the shelf behind her. "I didn't want things between me and Hiro to get to this point, but we've both had a lot on our minds and…and…why is it okay for Ash to point out my messed up friendship but not okay for me to do the same? Couldn't you just…just get with him already and stop pulling me along?"

Lillian's eyes widened, and she turned her head so she didn't have to meet his eyes. Dirk's voice had risen to a level that caught the attention of nearby shoppers, and Lillian felt humiliation and guilt and frustration rise up in her like bile. His hand fell from its blockade and she began to walk towards the cashier, but was caught – caught as she was always caught – by Dirk. His hand was wrapped around her wrist the same way Ash's had been.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'm sorry…I know you're going to take his side. He's your best friend, and he's your…I'm sorry. I just…hate being a third wheel on your date."

"It's…it's not…"

Dirk squeezed her wrist and then let go, taking the basket from her. He tossed in the decorations Ash had chosen, but the lanterns he had picked out were already back on the shelves. "He has the money anyways. Let's go wait for him by the cash register."

"…Dirk…"

"Forget about it for now." He turned a forced smile towards her and reached out for her wrist before quickly retracting it, as though suddenly realizing what he had been about to do. "Let's get going," he murmured, turning away once more. "We don't have all day to pick out decorations, after all."

* * *

"Well…at least they actually talk to each other now, right?" Laney dug her tidy fingernails into the skin of an orange and tore a chunk off. "It used to be they'd just stare each other down, or get close to an actual fight every time they were near each other. They're trying."

"I know," Lillian mumbled. She held her hand out for the discarded orange peel and dropped it into her empty plastic container, once filled with grapes. Being so used to Laney's frequent snacks, she had taken to bringing some of her own as well. Lately Laney had brought a myriad of her infamously sour oranges, so Lillian tried to bring something a little sweet to balance it. "I just wish they didn't put me in the middle of it."

"I don't think they intentionally put you in the middle of it, to their credit. I think it's just…the three of you are the only people who can understand each other so well, and so they're probably seeking out the wisdom of the only other person who knows what their friendship was like."

Lillian hesitated, taking the orange slice Laney offered, and then smiled. "You sounded pretty wise just now."

"Those were actually Cam's words. We were talking about this last night," she admitted, giggling at her reveal.

Lillian laughed as well, but she quickly zoned in on Laney's words. "Last night? Were you guys talking on the phone, or-"

"He came over for dinner." Lillian gaped at her, and Laney grinned in reply. The brunette's mind had flown to the idea of a date or at least some sort of meeting, but this was even better. "I know!" Laney burst out, full of excitement. "Dad said he missed him. It was a little awkward, but dad really does look at Cam like he's his son, so he felt a lot better seeing that Cam was doing okay. He told me last night that had Cam not gotten a place to stay, he probably would have begged one of his friends to loan him a place or scrape together the money for him to return to the city. I knew it…I knew dad wouldn't just abandon him."

A satisfied, relieved smile remained on Laney's face even as she bit into the same tart orange Lillian's face was puckering at. "Do you think he'll let him move back in at this rate?" Lillian asked, wishing she had saved one of her sweet grapes to amend the sourness that hung in her mouth. Laney's oranges seemed to be doing their best to make up for her typical gentility.

Laney paused, holding a sliver of an orange peel above the container, as though choosing her words. She relaxed her fingers and the peel slipped into their makeshift trash can. "No. I don't expect him to let him move back in…and I'm not sure if I want Cam to move back in, anyways. The way I lied to my dad, the way Cam and I broke up…it's hard acting so normally with him. Being in the same house as him again…it would be really, really, _really _awkward."

Lillian watched her friend sympathetically and nodded, deciding to change the subject when she saw Laney's eyes drift away. "Does your dad know that you two broke up?" she asked instead.

"Not yet."

"Why not?"

Laney smiled, getting to her feet and taking the container of trash with her. "I don't want him to worry about me anymore than he already is," she told her friend, and then she walked towards the trash can and returned with a completely composed expression. Lillian smiled back at her and put the empty container handed to her in her bag. Every day she found new reasons to admire Laney.

"Thanks for talking to me about this all, by the way," Laney murmured, pulling her knees up to her chest when she sat against the wall beside Lillian once more. They both glanced at the clock, but they were so used to this daily occurrence by now that they already knew a minute and ten seconds was left of break. "Lately I can't really...well, I spend a lot of time with Georgia even though things are awkward between everyone, but I try not to stress her out anymore than she already is."

"It's no problem. You can talk to me about anything," Lillian told her, smiling. She frowned as she considered Georgia's state, however. "Do you know what's going through Georgia's head right now? I know that she's had some issues with the club and...well, with Ash too, I think..."

Laney offered up a sympathetic expression and shrugged. "I've got the same information you do, to be honest. I don't have the courage to ask Georgia what's going on and she's not offering up any facts right about now. Georgia is the kind of person who unfolds at a really natural pace - she wouldn't just open up about something. Instead, she'll let the information trickle out when the time is right. I just hope that time comes soon, really. I'm tired of having to see her sad. I miss her laugh."

They looked at each other and back to the clock, watching as the remaining seconds ticked by. "Me too," Lillian murmured. "I do too."

* * *

Lillian didn't see the Oracle until their class together, which was strange. Usually every Monday morning the lively girl would bound up to her friend and ask how her weekend had gone – even if they had spent part of the weekend together. But this Monday was different. The Oracle was not the lively girl she usually was as she slumped over her desk. Kana was equally despondent – his arms dangled over the front of his desk and his face was pressed firmly into the wood. Dirk just shrugged when Lillian looked at him and said, "Dunno. He was like this when I came in."

Considering she had taken the time to comfort Kana before and never gotten a chance to hear from the Oracle, Lillian now turned to her and said, "Hey…how was your weekend?"

The Oracle glanced at her as if not believing _she _was the one being addressed and then smiled. "It was fine. How was yours?"

"Good."

"That's good."

Dirk glanced between the two of them as a silence foreign to any conversation with the Oracle trickled in. He frowned towards the Oracle and asked, "What's wrong? You seem down for some reason."

Lillian's eyes widened, but when the Oracle looked at her she shook her head. Lillian had spent the Saturday before wondering why Dirk seemed undeterred by what she assumed had been some pretty rough chastising, but it appeared that wasn't the case at all. She had actually…not said a thing to him? "Why?" Lillian asked aloud before she could stop herself.

"Well, just look at her," Dirk said.

The Oracle smiled at her and said, "Later." Mr. Hamilton took charge of the class at that moment, and Dirk could easily assume she meant they would talk later – but Lillian knew better. Something was going on.

"Kana!"

The boy snapped up at Mr. Hamilton's voice and nodded, sighing as he begrudgingly pulled a pencil from his backpack.

Something was going on with _him_ too.

* * *

"What's up?"

"Nothing," Lillian mumbled. Ash walked silently beside her, avoiding the leaves as he always did. Lillian didn't know how to even _begin _explaining what was going on to him – how was she supposed to wrap him up in Konohana's issues? Wrap him, the _Bluebell president_, up in the other club's conflicts? She didn't know how to out Hiro's positon as a buzzer, she didn't know how to talk about the Oracle's anger, and she didn't _want _to explain how Dirk's decision to help her over his club had cost him the respect of his friends. So she didn't say anything. The look on her face silenced Ash just this once, and he didn't ask any further questions about how she was feeling. It seemed that in this case she, like Georgia, would wait until the time was right.

They continued to walk like that for a few more minutes, Lillian trudging through the dead leaves and Ash dancing along the sidewalk to avoid them, until she finally blurted out, "Why do you do that?"

"Sorry?"

"Why do you always avoid stepping on the leaves when you walk?"

Ash looked so surprised he stopped in his tracks, crunching a leaf that had turned from gold to brown. "Because…you told me to," he said.

"What? I never…"

"When we were kids," Ash explained. "I used to step all over the leaves. Back in fifth grade. It drove you crazy, since you hated the sound. So one day you turned and you grabbed my hand and squeezed it as tight as you could and told me to never step on another leaf again." He looked down at the leaf that he had squashed with a teasingly apologetic look.

Lillian was stunned. "And…you…just kept on…?"

Ash turned a sheepish expression in the other direction. "Well, I was afraid that if I bothered you too much you would stop wanting to hang out with me. We were just kids, after all. And now it just…comes naturally. I feel weird if I step on a leaf."

They stood like that for a few seconds longer, with Ash looking off towards the clouds that hid the sun and Lillian staring at him. Finally she smiled and held her hand out to him. "Hurry up," she said. "But don't step on any leaves."

He smiled and took her hand, nodding. "If that's what it takes to keep you around," he said, laughing when her cheeks flared up.

"Just come on!" she laughed, pulling him along faster as he took premeditated steps through the piles of leaves and she crushed enough for the both of them.

* * *

"Thanks for coming," Reina said on Tuesday afternoon when Lillian showed up at her house with Ash and Cam in tow. "And...what's up?"

"Nothing important," Lillian sighed. Once again she had been unable to figure out what was causing Kana to remain in an unresponsive state for the first ten minutes of class and once again the Oracle had managed to escape her questions. She wasn't sure _when _she would finally get the chance to understand her friends as well as she once had, and that made her as despondent as them. "Here's all of the decorations."

Reina glanced at her for a moment, but nodded and took the bag held out to her. Reina, who had been baking feverishly with Laney in the home economics room during lunch breaks, hadn't gotten a chance to retrieve the decorations before, and had decided a group meeting at her house to check them out was the best bet. Unfortunately, Laney had other plans. So now it was set up for the perfect double date, and that troubled Lillian. She couldn't help but glance between Cam and Reina, who smiled at each other when they met eyes. The dark haired girl dusted off her dress in a nonchalant manner when she saw Lillian looking at her and said, "Well, thanks for picking them up for me. I really appreciate it. Was Dirk busy?"

"Ah, yeah. Him and Laney both couldn't make it, it seems."

All three of them looked at her doubtfully, but none of them bothered calling her out on her obvious lie. Lillian didn't know _how _to go about inviting Dirk to spend time with her and Ash again after the Saturday shopping debacle. At least that's what she told herself when she looked at him and suppressed the constant guilt she felt. Dirk didn't want to feel like a third wheel, and the moment she knew Laney wasn't coming, she could almost _hear _him say, "I didn't want to be a fifth wheel either, Lillian." He would flick her on the forehead and smile, but he would hurt - and Lillian couldn't let that happen. She sighed, her shoulders rising and falling in worry, and her friends exchanged a look.

"Check out the decorations we picked out," Ash said, gesturing pointedly to the bags. "I think we picked up some nice things."

Reina nodded and hastened to open the bag, pulling out the assorted streamers, banners and more. Every time she pulled an item from the bag she passed it off to Cam, who smiled in an affectionate manner towards her even when his arms were loaded down with stuff. Finally she swept the bottom of the bag with her finger tips and pulled out 18 G. "You guys really went all out," she murmured, a crooked smile on her lips. "I appreciate it. I'm sure Hiro will like it."

She managed to compose herself well for the rest of the planning of Hiro's party as she talked about how she would set up the streamers and what she wanted to buy and all the things she needed to do, but Lillian could _feel _the anxiety beneath her words. Knowing that Hiro had confessed to Reina made her feel like they now had a bit of a bond - both girls had people they were very close to that had feelings for them that they had to decline. When Lillian found herself wishing Reina would change her mind, it only churned her own guilt more viciously about her weak stomach. Finally she excused herself, asking if she could check out the garden for a moment, hoping the fresh air would remind her that she wasn't Reina and her situation was not hers either.

There were signs propped up all about the new plethora of wildlife Cam and Reina had sowed together, etched with each of their handwriting. A bag of daffodil bulbs was propped up next to a patch of clear soil, waiting to be planted, and Lillian smiled as she knelt before it and prodded the bag.

"Daffodils are supposed to be planted in the autumn, so we have to plant them as soon as possible. Winter is practically here already, and we really want them to survive until the next year."

Lillian jumped at Cam's voice and laughed when he crouched down beside her. "You scared me," she said. "What are you doing out here?"

"I just came to chat," he said. He smiled at her when she turned a teasingly doubtful look towards her and shrugged. "We're worried about you. You look a little out of sorts."

She sighed and shrugged, searching for the proper words. Cam knew her well enough that to simply say, _I can't handle not being able to help my friends_, would explain it, and she knew that he wasn't the type to press on for concrete explanations, but something still kept her lips pursed. To give voice to her worries and anxiety was to make them real, and she was reluctant to set these feelings in stone just yet. She finally shook her head and said, "Let's talk about daffodils some more instead."

Cam smiled at her once more and nodded. He didn't hesitate for a second, and launched into his reply with confidence. "Daffodils usually bloom in the late winter or early spring, so they'll be some of the only flowers around at that time. Me and Reina have a bit of a bet going on. They say the person who spots the first daffodil of the spring will have a lucky year, so we agreed that if she saw the first daffodil I would go to a tutoring class with her to prepare for college exams, but if I saw the first we would go to a floral class after school together. Even though she's so worried about her entrance exams, I think she's hoping I win too."

Lillian smiled, but felt a prick of worry. "You two are growing to be really close," she noted. "That must be fun."

"We're close," Cam said, meeting Lillian's eyes and holding contact for a moment. "But not as close as Laney and I, if that's what you're worried about." He rose to his feet and dusted off his pants legs before holding a hand out to her, laughing at her dumbfounded expression. "Come on. If you keep looking so sad, you'll only worry them more. So cheer up for the afternoon."

Lillian couldn't help but laugh at this roundabout way of cheering her up, and let him pull her to her feet. "Thanks for coming to talk to me, Cam," she murmured, feeling a little embarrassed. Lillian couldn't recall many times that _she _was being comforted by a friend, and it felt a little strange.

Cam grinned and shrugged, turning back towards the sliding glass door that led to the living room - to Ash and Reina. "Well, everyone needs a bit of cheering up sometimes."

They walked in together and Lillian took her seat beside Ash on Reina's couch once more, and Cam sat down in an armchair beside Reina's, and their conversation picked up right where it had left off - but this time, Lillian didn't have trouble focusing on the task at hand.

* * *

The Oracle managed to avoid Lillian for the rest of the week, showing up late to class and leaving early to rush off to her club and vanishing during all other times. When Lillian questioned Dirk about it, he shrugged and mumbled, "She's probably spending time with Mikhail or something, I don't know." Similarly, Georgia and Kana were often missing as well. Lillian never saw them together, but they both showed up equally late to everything. Neither of them looked happy when they _did _make appearances. Georgia stuck with Laney and didn't say much. Ash avoided her as much as possible. Cam and Mikhail tried to play neutral, and Lillian never got the chance to. Georgia tried to not even look at her. Kana was exhausted when he showed up for class, and walked around with a thick melancholy cloud about him constantly. Laney, Cam, Mikhail and Ash did their best to ensure Lillian that she had nothing to do with the troubles of any of the three, but she felt like she had a part in at _least_ two of them.

On Friday when the clubs were notified that there would be no competition this week – they were still working on the exciting semester finisher, apparently – she hoped she'd be able to catch the Oracle _or _Kana to find out at least a little bit of what was going on, but they tore out of the classroom at the end of the period as though someone was chasing them. Had Dirk not caught the back of her jacket and stopped her, Lillian probably _would _have chased them.

"It's not your fault, you know. Maybe a little, but…not enough to get so down about."

"Reassuring."

Dirk sighed and walked with her towards the classroom door. "Come on, Lillian. Whatever is bothering the Oracle…it's probably got more to do with me than you. And whatever's bothering Kana and Georgia…well, that's probably more Ash than you, too. At least for Georgia. Goddess knows what's got Kana so depressed. But you can't take the total blame for everything. Other people are a little deserving of it."

"But why is it always the three of us that cause so many problems?" Lillian fretted as they walked through the packed halls, Dirk struggling to ensure nobody jostled Lillian in the slightest. "We cause problems for each other and for other people _constantly_. Why is that?"

She didn't get an answer until Dirk got them out of the packed hallways – hallways both of them were unfamiliar with, considering they usually didn't have to mix with _all _the students, and only the seniors at the end of the day. They stood in the rear courtyard, the strange fountain and the makeshift football field nearby. "I don't know why we do," he said, kicking at the dirt and sending it splaying all around them. "We've got unfinished business, I guess. And it's screwing up everyone else too."

"Unfinished business," Lillian repeated. "How so?"

Dirk fixed her with an annoyed look. "Take three guesses. Come on. Or we could play hot and cold. Go ahead and start."

"Don't be a jerk."

"Of course," Dirk sighed when he turned to see Ash behind him. "You always know exactly when to show up, don't you? I swear, you must have a tracker on Lillian-"

"I'm looking for _you_," Ash sighed as well, shaking his head. "We have to help construct some of the stuff for the club competition, since both of us our presidents. The vice presidents are supposed to help too, but I have absolutely no clue where Georgia is…"

"I don't know where Hiro is either," Dirk admitted. Both boys looked a little ashamed of themselves and had a hard time meeting the others eyes. "Who are you going to walk home with then, Lillian?"

"Uh…"

Ash looked at her apologetically, and looked ready to offer some sort of solution when two hands landed on Lillian's shoulders and a voice cooed, "Me! I'll be the one to escort Lillian home. I'll be her knight in shining armor."

Dirk's eyes widened, and he stumbled over his words for a moment. "You…where were you earlier? I looked for you and I…couldn't find you…"

The Oracle leaned around Lillian's shoulder and smiled at him. "Don't worry about it Dirk. I just had some errands to run. Now you two boys should run off and play nice or this girl will probably cry." The girl appeared to be full of her usual energy as she squished Lillian's face together in a laughable expression, only none of them were laughing. She may have _looked_ full of energy again, but there was still something noticeably off about her.

"Well…call me later then. Please," Dirk stressed, holding her eyes for a moment before kicking the back of Ash's shoe. "You lead."

Ash swept his foot back and stamped on Dirk's, winking back at the boy when he yelped. "Right this way," he said.

"I strongly dislike you," Dirk said, but he was smiling a little as he walked off. _Maybe_, Lillian thought hopefully. Maybe history, maybe mutual friends, maybe fate had a way to bring those two friends together again. If they were smiling even while fighting, that _had_ to be a good sign. It just had to. Both of them waved at Lillian and the Oracle as they entered the school, and Ash and Lillian smiled at each other until he disappeared inside the school building. Dirk's smile faded when he saw.

The Oracle turned to Lillian and clapped her hands together. "Have you heard any rumors about this big, extra special competition? Because I have absolutely no clue what's going on."

"I haven't heard anything," Lillian murmured, her voice a little hesitant. She couldn't help but feel like she should exercise extra caution in this conversation. The Oracle looked close to tears. "Maybe Dirk or Ash will tell us."

"Dirk will probably tell you," the Oracle replied. Her voice was shockingly cool, and she looked apologetic the second after she spoke. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "That was unnecessary. Really, Lillian…I'm sorry about that…"

"Forget about it," Lillian told her, her voice gentle as she bit back the nerve that remark had struck. "Do you want to…tell me what's been going on?"

The Oracle smiled and sat down right where she stood, on the concrete that edged the school. She was sitting cross legged, but her dress was so long it covered her up completely. Lillian followed suit, taking a seat beside her. "I didn't tell Dirk about Hiro. You obviously know that. It's not that I don't want to scream at Dirk, and it's not that I think he doesn't _deserve _to be yelled at just this once. He said he would help me win this competition but…he's lost all of the ambition he once had to win, and that means he's just tossing my ambitions aside too, apparently. But I'm not saying anything despite all that. The reason I'm not doing it is because…I respect Hiro too much to do it, honestly."

"You…really?" Lillian asked. "I didn't know you two were close, I mean."

"We're not very close, really." The Oracle put her hands on her knees, shrugging. "We've never been close friends. But Hiro has always been a good friend to Dirk, and therefore he's been fairly kind to me as well. I used to be pretty good at spinning the tables on people and outing their secrets but lately…it's just not as easy as it used to be. I know how much Dirk means to Hiro, and I just can't bring myself to sever that relationship anymore than it already has been. Hiro is the type of person who does the right thing…no matter what. It must be killing him already to dock points. Why would I put him through anything more?"

Lillian thought back to how Hiro had taken the blame for Reina, but ultimately confessed to her that Reina had been the one behind it all. He had told her that he did it because he didn't want her to think that he had been hurting her all along and lying to her, and yet he had explained the situation so well it was actually difficult to be angry with Reina. He was a person who put others before himself, and couldn't stand the idea of people being upset with him. He was the type of person who would do the right thing. Even with his caution to not be a person who could be disliked, the position of hatred had been thrust upon him and he had been forced to take it up. Laney had done the same thing, hadn't she? It didn't make her any worse of a person. She docked points from them because it was the right thing to do. Hiro did the same. Even if it hurt.

"I understand," Lillian murmured. She understand who Hiro was, and she understood where the Oracle's reluctance stemmed from - perhaps not so much from fear of hurting Dirk, but fear of destroying one of Dirk's remaining friendships. Fear of hurting the person she cared for so. "But…what are you going to do about Dirk?"

"I don't know _what _to do," the Oracle admitted. "What is there to do? I tried to be angry at him and let him know I was angry, but I couldn't exactly do that without revealing the source of my anger, or I'd be acting rather unfair. It hurt me, though, that Dirk jeopardized what meant so much to me, but…I really can't be too surprised now, can I? He always wanted to be your knight in shining armor."

Lillian winced at this, but the Oracle smiled gently at her and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. I want to hear all about you and Ash while we walk home. It looks like things are going well between the two of you. Have you told him that you like him yet?"

"No," Lillian blushed, shaking her head. She was reluctant to let the conversation change so swiftly - especially after spending a week agonizing over her inability to catch the Oracle alone - but was unable to deny the conversation change. The Oracle still had glassy eyes that looked prepared to leak any second. "I'm not planning on saying something like that anytime soon."

The Oracle laughed and said, "Why-"

"Hey! Has Hiro passed by here?"

Lillian turned to see Dirk leaning out a window a floor above her, squinting down. "No," she called back. "You can't find him?"

"No clue where he is. He might have already gone home." Dirk shrugged and then looked to the side. "Your boyfriend says that he hates you and doesn't want to see you ever again."

Dirk was pushed to the side, and Ash leaned out the window this time. "Ignore him," he said. "And if you see Georgia or Hiro on the way home, can you let them know we're up here?"

"Okay," Lillian called back, smiling up at him. "Have a good time, you two."

Dirk managed to squeeze out the window as well, pushing Ash up against the edge. "You too," he called back, smiling at her. "I'll see you on Monday."

They all waved at each other once more, and the Oracle sighed and then turned a smile to Lillian. "Never mind that question," she said. "I think I understand now." She didn't give Lillian a chance to ask questions, and instead skipped ahead, pointing excitedly to a bluejay that was waiting on a tree far ahead of them. Lillian looked over her shoulder and met Dirk's eyes as he watched them go, and he smiled at her once more. She returned it in kind, but only for several seconds before she took off after the Oracle, feeling like a child who had misbehaved. Luckily for her, the Oracle hadn't noticed. Or at least she continued to pretend she hadn't.


End file.
